The Sims 4: AshLea
by The Nickname
Summary: This fanfiction is a tribute to my friend Trishinator. It's based on one of her livestreams of the Sims 4 and follows the events of the entire stream and scene for scene what happens in it. - Rated M for coarse language and sexual content. - Link to original video: (Youtube URL) /watch?v 6xy-Q0v3qLA
1. Day 1 - Settling In

Her name is Ashley Sun.

She is currently a twenty-one-year-old woman with natural raven black hair and sapphire blue irises. She has flawless skin with a fairly pale complexion and an all-around attractive and feminine physique, lacking any physical imperfections. However, despite her pristine appearance, her hobbies and overall dreams were far from such extremities.

Ever since her youth, Ashley had been focused on maintaining the peak of her skills in any of her activities, no matter how vital or mundane they were. But as the years progressed, her desires for perfection had evolved into an almost unhealthy obsession, spawned from several years of pursuing artistic studies. Upon practicing in her teens all the way through to her young adulthood, she has finally decided to devote her developing skills and her passionate personality to the art world.

For several months now, Ashley had made arrangements to move homes, finally settling on living in a remote but oddly suburban town known at Oasis Springs. Due to her lack of a driver's license, she had been dependant on taxis and buses for her entire trip. She had often wondered how this town's production could be so successful considering it was found in the middle of a desert. Thankfully, as she had been told, any chance of scalding heat of sandstorms were all but minimal, to her relief. Her new home was settled in a previously furnished suburban home named the Sandtrap Flat.

The house was an economically standard home, fitted with the typical bells and whistles required for its owner and then some. The front yard sported a garden of plants on either side of a tiled pathway leading towards the house. A veranda stretched across two thirds of the front yard and the entire right side of her home, tiled equally to the pathway and having several columns to support the overhead roofing. The overall veranda made up almost half of her house in combination with it and it proved practically useless for shade, as the sun would set across from the veranda's view. Ashley always liked to assume that the builders had accidentally built the roof the wrong size and simply worked around this fact.

The front door faced opposite to the entire veranda and led directly into the living room. The walls inside had a dull violet paint and every room had at least on standard window with three glass panels. The house itself was split into three sections, only the living room harbouring a majority of a section to itself. The back of the house held the three remaining rooms, the bathroom finding itself squeezed between the kitchen in the middle section and the bedroom at the opposing edge. The overall home was fairly cramped and claustrophobic in its design, but Ashley tried to pay no mind to such trivial details.

Finally, her taxi had rounded the final corner and pulled slowly along the sidewalk, the home fully in Ashley's view. She stepped out and hurried to get a better look, all while her taxi driver helped to get her bags out from the boot. While Ashley was dismayed by the inferior size of the home compared to her previous house, she was entirely aware of its exact size and wasn't in a position to complain. She took her bags and other belongings and waved goodbye to the driver as he pulled away, before making her way to the front door.

However, as she grabbed her bags and began her trip, she noticed a newspaper on the floor and stopped to pick it up. She dropped her bags gently and unfolded it, hoping to get an idea on the current events within the town. She scanned through the pages before her eyes were diverted by a specific section.

 _ **The Future's Past!**_

 _ **Local museum looking for youthful talent to prove their artistic skills. Details below:**_

This was exactly the reason why Ashley had moved to Oasis Springs and this was the very best thing she could've learned. "I'll get the job tomorrow!" she declared to herself, her hands and voice both shaking with teenaged excitement. She then dropped the newspaper carelessly and took her bags, before quickly rushing to the front door.

She dropped her bags and fumbled for the keys in her pocket, before retrieving them and unlocking the door. As she turned the handle, she could immediately smell the scent of mint conditioning from inside, further fulfilling the expectations she had. She pushed the door fully open and stepped inside, turning to her left and flicking the light switch on. She looked around the newly lit living room and was satisfied with the presence of the furnishings; a black leather sofa, a cheap television set and a small bookshelf hung on the far wall.

She placed her bags on the couch and retrieved a plastic-clad collection of wooden parts, smiling as she made her decision, she unwrapped the parts and began setting them up into their proper places, finally settling into the final product of her easel. She remembered how this very easel was used by her to make many artworks over the years. She grabbed the easel and placed in the corner of the room, giving her enough space to paint on it.

"You and I are gonna make history, my friend" she teasingly stated to the easel before blowing a kiss to it. She felt giddy inside from what the future might bring, but her thoughts were cut short. She was distracted by a suddenly sensation in her stomach coupled with a low rumble, reminded of how she was forced to spend her hourly trips to Oasis Springs without anything to eat.

She made her way to the kitchen with one of her bags and pulled the fridge door open, sorting several of her packed meals from her bag and quickly placing them to be cooled from the heat. She finally took the packed garden salad and it's container from her bag before stopping to open it, the pain in her stomach convincing her to attend to the matter at hand. She spent several minutes leaning on the counter with a fork in hand, desperately wolfing down the meal to satisfy herself before she was eventually finished.

She had been so determined to eat her salad that she never paused to consider its condition. As a result, the expired salad had left a foul aftertaste that left Ashley in a distracted state. She held her stomach and prayed that she wouldn't suddenly vomit, afraid of the potentially indigestible state of the salad.

As she pondered this, her attention was suddenly drawn to the sound of knocking coming from her door, so she decided to see who it could've been. She did not know anyone in this town, so it was likely for official business. However, as she opened the door and peeked through, she was met with the presence of an African man in his forties, dressed casually and smiling towards her.

"Hey there!" he greeted charismatically, "I heard you just moved in, so I decided to pop over and help you get comfortable". Ashley continued to hide behind her door as she smiled nervously, "Oh thank you, but uh… that won't be necessary". Not wanting to intrude, the man chuckled and replied "That's okay. My name's Bob… Bob Pancakes".

Ashley definitely wasn't expecting that. She was left stunned by this man's absurd surname but was petrified of offering a bad impression of herself for reacting in such a manner, and therefore remained quiet. She stretched her arm out from behind the door and shook his hand in greeting, "Ashley… Ashley Sun". As she said it, she soon realised the hypocrisy of her initial thoughts on Bob.

"Now don't worry about the neighbours" Bob stated, "Everyone around here is very nice. They would like to get to know you, Ashley". Ashley chuckled lightly and said "Thanks, Bob. It's good to know people who can respect others…much better than my last home". She soon frowned and said "I would love to keep chatting, but I have a lot of things to unpack and it's getting late", prompting Bob to look upwards to see the dusky sky above. "Well then, don't let me keep ya, Ashley. I'll be heading off". He bowed his head politely before turning to walk along the street once more, Ashley shouted "Bye!" as she shut the door.

"Oh God! I shouldn't have done that!" she suddenly mouthed to herself as she covered her lips with her fingertips. "I can't believe I was so rude to him" she continued as her breath quickened, "He probably thinks I'm some kind of wierdo!"

Ashley had always been rather shy, stemming from the many awkward or even confrontational situations she had gotten herself into before. Nowadays, she was wary of speaking to strangers in the fears that she may offend them with anything she said. She was reclusive and rarely left the house, something that had concerned her previous neighbours. Basically, she was entirely introverted and terrified of the world outside her house and her paintings.

"What if he's gonna tell others!?" she gasped through her ragged breath, "He might say I'm a rude and horrible person!" She was visibly shaking with fear at the thought of rejection, especially after she had only just got here.

Just then, her thoughts were cut short by a second knock on the door. Her eyes widened as she thought "That's them now!" In a panic, she turned and flung the door open, paying no heed to whoever lay behind it. "I'm so sorry, that was so rude of me! But I swear, I'm no-" she blabbered with terror, before she paused to find that it wasn't bob standing in front of her.

It was a woman.

This woman seems to be around her own age and had a gorgeous, healthy tan on her skin, mocking her own pale complexion. Her eyes were a misty green and she had raven hair, cut in a straight line and stylised to curve inwards at the tips. She had a fancy black dress without sleeves and ended towards the middle of her thighs, along with a pair of black high heels. The girl looked like she had fallen straight out of a 1940s vaudeville performance to visit her. The woman smiled at her with calm eyes and a wide grin.

"Hello there, Ashley" the woman said simply, her voice sending shivers through Ashley's body from its almost seductive tone. Ashley was captivated by how stunning this woman looked before she suddenly snapped back to reality, "How do you know my name? I don't know you". The woman chuckled before answering "I saw you talking with Bob… and then I heard you panicking behind your door".

Ashley's cheek's flushed red almost instantly from this comment, embarrassed that this stranger had witnessed her at a vulnerable moment. The stranger saw her embarrassment and raised her arms to hold Ashley by her biceps, "You don't need to be embarrassed around me, Ashley". Her touch was extremely warm and soft for Ashley to feel, the surge quickly calming Ashley's mind within the woman's grasp. "My name is Lea… I'd really like to get to know you better, Ashley" she purred softly.

"Lea…" Ashley repeated to herself as Lea released her hold on the girl's arms. "If you ever feel lonely, you can call me" Lea stated as she pulled a note from her blouse and handed it to the entranced girl, who took it sleepily. Lea gave one final smile as she turned to walk away, strutting elegantly along the front pathway and turning to travel along the sidewalk. The moment Lea was out of her range of sight, Ashley suddenly slammed the door and turned away from it. She leaned against the wall as she breathed heavily.

Who the hell was that woman? Why did she know so much about her? How did she know her name? Why was she spying on her? Why did she talk that way to her? Why was Ashley so struck by her? Why did she want to get to know her? Why would she give-.

Ashley paused her thoughts and looked down at her hand, finding Lea's note and reading out the phone number on it. She shakily journeyed from the living room to the kitchen and placed the number on the table, unable to create clear thoughts in her head after what had just happened to her.

She then stopped as a yawn forced its way from her throat, finally signalling her to sleep her thoughts off. She wearily opened the door to the bedroom and flopped lazily onto the bed, the springs recoiling beneath her. She pulled the covers over her body, finally having the first time to relax in the past few hours. "It's been an hour and already I'm completely bewildered" she thought to herself, "I can't even imagine what will happen tomorrow". Not willing to try, she shut her eyes and was enveloped by the loving embrace of sleep.


	2. Day 2 - Bad Beginning

Ashley's eyes fluttered open from her slumber in response to an unexpected disturbance, namely the bright light of the sun creeping across her face from her bedroom window. She stirred into motion and heaved her aching frame into a sitting position on the bed, her muscles unprepared for the action and retaliating with painful creaks under her skin. She groaned with discomfort before stretching her arms into the air, before a weary yawn escaped her lips.

Her feet slid out from under the covers as she stood upright from in the far corner of the room, before stretching one final time. She turned and stepped through the bedroom door into the living room, hoping to reach the fridge before she began hearing her stomach whine for something to ingest. She stopped and pulled the door open as a wave of cold air impacted against her skin, causing Ashley to shiver in response. As she reached her hand in, a low growl caught her attention and she mouthed obscenities under her breath.

She took a pair of eggs and several rations of bacon and took them to the stove, placing them in the pan and turning the stove to the required temperature. She sizzled the bacon and eggs together for several minutes, occasionally having to flip the bacon over. In the end, she had overcooked the bacon and undercooked the eggs. "Damn it" she said with frustration, unable to make a decision on what to do next to salvage what would be her breakfast. Under the stress, she immediately turned the stove off and tipped the contents of the pan onto a plate, before taking it to the table and seating herself.

She tried her best to disregard the burning sensation from the charred bacon and the murky state of the eggs as each were consumed, leaving her with a foul aftertaste. She dropped her head ungraciously on the table and growled to herself "Why do I keep eating such bad food?"

She had moved to the couch and begun watching the television set, currently observing an ice skating performance. Or at least she attempted to, considering the faulty reception of her clearly outdated television and her lack of clear online connectivity from where she lived. Despite this, she was also unable to afford any other forms of entertainment to enjoy, all thanks to her dwindling finances and her lack of employment.

Something that shouldn't be a problem for long, as she suddenly remembered.

She bolted upright as a smile stretched across her face, her body filling with excitement as she remembered. She ran into her bedroom and quickly got changed into a casual yet elegant outfit. She wore a white t-shirt with blue sleeves, pale blue jeans and a pair of her white running shoes. Once dressed, she stepped outside, unprepared for the light that temporarily blinded her, and walked along the sidewalk with her eyes gazing around in search of an approaching taxi. Eventually, she managed to flag down a taxi and instructed them towards the art museum. It took her several minutes and the whole trip was spent in an uncomfortable silence, neither Ashley nor the driver willing to strike up any conversation. Eventually, the taxi pulled over at a black pathway leading to the open entrance of a large building. Besides the path was a sign, reading "The Future's Past", confirming Ashley's suspicions. She payed the driver his dues and made her way to the building's entrance, hearing the car pull away as she did.

She entered inside, basking longingly in the air-conditioned indoors before she ecstatically approached the main desk. She saw a woman with blonde hair and a formal attire turn to her and awaited Ashley's introduction. "Hello" Ashley began confidently, "I heard about an opening for artists here". The lady replied "That's right. I assume you wish to apply for a job here?" Ashley nodded before answering "I uh… I'd like to know what qualifications are required".

Meanwhile, back at the Sandtrap Flat and unbeknownst to Ashley, several of the neighbours were approaching her home and planned to offer a welcome party to her. They stood outside her door and knocked lightly, expecting her to arrive at the door at any time. One neighbour, a woman with stylised red hair and a black denim outfit, had even prepared a dish of pastries as a welcome present. If only they had known that she'd left an hour ago and would return several hours after their departure. Confused and disappointed, the four neighbours disbanded and went their separate ways, the redhead woman scoffing the cake to herself as she took her leave.

Towards 4:00 pm, a taxi pulled over outside the Sandtrap Flat and Ashley stepped out, once again paying the driver and heading inside. Her previously delighted attitude had devolved from her introduction to the career of an artist. She learned that before she could apply, she needed to present her very own artwork to her employers to judge. This fact concerned her and fed her paranoid belief that she would not qualify, and by extent, the whole trip to Oasis Springs would've been for nothing.

She entered the front door and wandered into the living room, the first thing she set her gaze upon being her easel in the far corner of the room. She smiled, planning what picture she would paint as her example. She pulled up the pallet and started pouring in the colours, mixing them carefully with her paintbrush. She stared at the blank canvas as the corner of her mouth tugged slightly to form a smirk, her mind made up on what to paint.

She envisioned a horse in a field with a bright and strong colour scheme. She set to painting the lines that would represent the horses frame, along with the curvature of the field and the outline of several flowers to the left. Next, she mixed a collection of bright and bold colours and selected a bright pink for the horse's skin, intended to reflect the light of the sun. The more she continued to bring this image to fruition, the more displeased she became with the result. Eventually, the overwhelming distaste for her creation pressured her to stop and view her creation.

Cartoony would describe it. The designs were overly simplified and the colour scheme was fit for children.

She tensed at her failure, knowing that it would never be accepted by the museum's employees. She gritted her teeth and swung her arm in the air in a fit of enraged impulse, threatening to drive the butt directly through the canvas. But soon the storm calmed and her hand fell to her side as she hung her head in defeat. She wouldn't need to be embarrassed for displaying this image to the public, since she was already embarrassed with her own incompetence.

Nevertheless, she hadn't the will to begin again. She turned away from her artwork and trudged towards the refrigerator, hungry from the passing hours without a meal to eat. She opened the fridge and was pleased to hear nothing but the sound of her fridge's cold air escaping the enclosed space. She pulled out several ingredients and planned to make some macaroni and cheese for dinner. Thankfully, she was competent with using a stove, and was pleased to know that any imbalances in her cooking would be the fault of the stove.

She was soon finished cooking and began eating at the table, happy to finally eat something without the fear that she may die of food poisoning. She cleaned up her bowl before she placed it in the kitchen sink to clean later, but was suddenly brought to a halt when a low growl emanated from her body. Angrily, she pulled the fridge open and snatched an apple before storming into the bathroom, planning to eat whilst she showered.

She removed her clothes and stepped inside, turning the faucet in preparation for a rain of warmth to relieve her tension. But fate is unkind, and the hot water faucet was not working at the time. Ashley gasped in fright she found herself drenched in cold water, but was too angry to pay any mind to it and began scrubbing herself.

She soon remembered her apple and prepared to take a bite from it, but paused before she did and instead concentrated on it. The apple sat in her hand with several water droplets pouring down the smooth skin. She turned to look at the window behind it and absent-mindedly began drawing the shape of the apple into the steam-coated glass with her finger.

This had struck a chord.

She stepped out of the shower and swiftly wrapped the towel around her body, her mind rushing her to begin her next painting. She left the bathroom and ran to her kitchen, spotting a ceramic teapot on her table and taking it with her. She ran to the easel and placed both objects side-by-side on the window sill behind the canvas. She took her pallet and began mixing the colours before they had dried, taking her paintbrush and preparing to lay the outline of her artwork.

This was what she was missing. This is what she didn't have when she painted the horse. This is what would help her succeed in become an artist.

She had an inspiration.

Several minutes passed as she continued laying the outlines and the colouring to the canvas, her confidence practically blinding her to a state of robotic motion to achieve a perfect result. Finally, she was finished, and she stepped back to examine her final product. She let out a heavy sigh as she relaxed her muscles, satisfied with the sight she saw. She knew that this painting was her best chance of getting that job, her best chance of impressing her employers.

As she relaxed, she felt a yawn pass through her lips and she covered her mouth elegantly. Pleased with her accomplishment, she turned on her heel and entered her bedroom. Unlike before, she carefully slid under the covers and sighed with relief from the soft wrappings of this silken cacoon she was held in. She smiled one final time before her weary eyes collapsed and she fell asleep.


	3. Day 3 - Skipping Breakfast

Ashley's eyes creaked open as she began returning to a conscious state, the light of the sun streaming through her window being the first thing she saw. She sat up from her pillow and exhaled, her mind unfocused and her body barely responsive. She leaned forwards and she stood up from the bed before she made her way to the living room door, preparing in advance to the blinding light behind the door.

She squinted as she pushed the door open and clumsily made her way to the main room, the first thing she could see in her field of view being the easel and her painting. The mere sight of it was enough to bring joy to her awkward and disorganised morning. She continued to the kitchen and prepared to open the fridge door for something to have for breakfast, but paused to look past the metal frame towards the clock on the far wall.

'9:25 am'.

Immediately, Ashley's drowsy eyes shot open in shock from this revelation, astonished at how late she had slept in. She began panicking as she slammed the fridge door shut and ran out of the kitchen, her memory finally returning with a vengeance. The art museum would open and the time for applications would run between eight o'clock and eleven o'clock, as she remembered she read from the tabloid.

Food would have to wait.

She ran to her painting and took it in both hands, handling it with care while simultaneously trying to hurry out the front door. With the painting tucked under her arm, she turned the handle of her front door and barged through to the outside world. She ran to the sidewalk and looked up and down the street in search for a taxi, cursing herself for her lack of a driver's licence. Finally, a taxi pulled in and she practically dove into the backseat, exclaiming "Please! The museum! I'm late for an appointment". Sensing the urgency, the driver sped off from the house to reach his destination as soon as possible.

After a while of sitting in the car, a sharp pain stirred in Ashley's gut as from the lack of ingesting food, though she was at least thankful that it hadn't been audible for the trip. The taxi soon stopped outside the museum and Ashley sprinted out of the car, leaving the tip for the driver in the backseat. She pushed the door open and jogged towards the front desk, panting from exhaustion all the while. Looking through the several booths aligned before her, she recognised the woman with blonde hair and decided to approach her.

"Welcome back, Ms. Sun" the woman greeted with a smile, "Returning to present an artwork?" Ashley nodded and turned her canvas to face towards the woman, whose eyes widened at the sight of the artwork. "Good luck. That artwork should definitely be enough to win her approval" the woman encouraged, pointing in the direction of the room Ashley needed to enter. "Thanks" she smiled shyly from the compliment before making her way through the door. The woman then sighed heavily following Ashley's departure, muttering to herself "She's a bit scatty… hope she's alright".

The moment Ashley entered and took a few steps inside, she was a witness to a wonderful sight. A studio where multiple different artists sat before canvases and made their own masterpieces. The very thought of being among fellow artistic geniuses was almost more that Ashley could comprehend. As she wandered through the hallway, she caught a glimpse of a woman with raven hair wearing a pale white business suit. Upon eye contact, the lady stood up from her seat and approached her, eyeing the artwork under Ashley's arms with curiosity.

"I believe you have something to show me, Ashley?" the woman questioned deviously, her voice causing a shiver through Ashley's spine. Ashley found herself unable to speak, beads of sweat defying the air-conditioning and pouring relentlessly from her forehead. Nervously, Ashley pulled the artwork from under her arm and handed it to the critic, whom took it for herself in response. She gripped it by both hands and examined it with an observant gaze. The pair were silent and Ashley felt her fear of dismissal begin to rise again. Eventually, the critic offered the artwork back to its painter and cleared her throat, Ashley awaiting for the critic's verdict.

Several minutes later, Ashley barged out the front door and jumped with her arms in the air, overjoyed by the critic's approval of her art skills. However, coupled with the heat from outside, she found herself swooning after expending so much energy. She found a new taxi and returned home, paying the driver afterwards and heading inside to rest. She collapsed recklessly on her couch and mulled over what the critic had said.

Her first painting was an exceptionally crafted artwork and was more than the level of skill required by the museum, but the critic then decided she wasn't finished having fun with Ashley yet. She requested Ashley to present another painting to her by tomorrow, and specifically requested it to be a large-sized canvas of a landscape. This was specifically chosen to test Ashley's versatility in painting, a fact that worried her greatly.

Nevertheless, she had only twenty hours to make this next artwork and to please the critic, so there was very little time and absolutely none worth wasting. She stood up from the seat and wandered over to her easel, reaching to the side and retrieving a large canvas for her use. She took up her pallet and began pouring the colours she believed she would need, all while mixing several together with her paintbrush.

She was nervous from simply considering what kind of abomination she may paint, but was on the verge of tears as she was preparing to create it. From what little she could plan, her landscape would have snowy tundra taking up a majority of the canvas, along with a series of foreground pine trees and several mountains on the horizon. Beginning with the white, she started outlining the curves of the snowy landscape and signifying the distance of the mountains.

Ashley spent over an hour working on this artwork without any breaks, her arms straining from overuse and her legs on the verge of collapsing beneath her weight. Despite this, however, she remained determined to not let anything distract her. Unfortunately, the one sound that could've possibly diverted her from her goal emanated from her stomach. Ashley sighed as she lay her paintbrush and pallet down and decided to take a break, feeling extremely uncomfortable with leaving this artwork before it was entirely finished.

She wandered over the fridge and opened it to access its contents, a scent of uncooked mince filling her nose and making her decision for her. She took the mince and a packet of taco shells to the stove, heating it to the right temperature and placing a pan full of the meat upon it. Spatters of boiling grease flew across the stove and even towards Ashley, but she was too hungry and unfocused to attempt to avoid them. Eventually, she deemed the meat cooked and poured it into her taco shells, scoffing them hungrily where she stood.

Finally relieved, she wandered wistfully back to her artwork and resumed painting. Next were the foreground trees, the bark and leaves intentionally given more detail than the background designs. Towards the end, she began to observe the work she had done and the result that had been produced from it, and she was far from disappointed.

The artwork was magnificent. The biome was a heavenly white with hints of a colourful blue, the trees here detailed down to each chip of bark and the mountains were blurred with mist to aid in representing the distance.

But despite this accomplishment, Ashley couldn't help but feel unsatisfied. She stared at the painting for several minutes, scanning for any imperfections that she may have possibly missed. Even after finding none, she was paranoid of what the critic would see that she hadn't. Unfortunately, Ashley was unable to dwell on these matters for long as the clock read 11:00 pm, followed by a short yawn from Ashley.

She stepped into her bedroom and slid under the covers, but found herself uneasy and struggling to relax. Her career depends upon this artwork, and she had no clue what level of detail this painting required to please the critic. Nevertheless, she finally managed to shut her eyes and drift to sleep, tossing and turning uncomfortable all the while.


	4. Day 4 - The Museum

The moment Ashley awoke from what could loosely be called her sleep, she felt a wave of restlessness wash over her. Her body provided little resistance as Ashley sat up from her mattress, her muscles having not relaxed since last night. She lowered her head and shook it in terror, afraid of what was to come when she presented her latest work to the art critic. She cringed with mixtures of sadness and rage as she impulsively rocketed to her feet and trudged into the living room.

As she entered, the light had been thankfully lacking as only faint rays stretched through the room, likely from clouds covering the sun at the time. She saw her easel and the painting resting upon it, her heart dropping and her stomach doing flips at the sight of it. Immediately, she waved her hands and shook her head before turning to the kitchen, desperately needing something to relieve her tension.

She opened the fridge door and found a plastic bottle containing pancake mix, her choice for breakfast the moment she saw it. Feeling too stressed to create any complex dishes, she began to relax as she poured the mix into a pan and turned the stove on. She simply let the pan sizzle and cook the pancakes as she sat back and watched, only intervening to occasionally flip a pancake to the opposite face. Once they were prepared, she scooped the pancakes into a plate and poured some of her favourite pancake syrup on it, the smell of the syrup intoxicating her drowsy senses.

She took her plate into the living room and sat at her dining table, taking her fork and stuffing the first piece of pancake into her mouth. "Mmm… I forgot how good these taste…" she said to herself, before continuing her meal. With the plate empty, she licked her lips of any remaining syrup and sighed with satisfaction. Despite this delicious breakfast, she still felt tension when she returned her focus to the painting.

She looked up at the clock and it read '8:25 am', plenty of time until she had to face the music. As much as she loathed the idea of heading to the museum, she felt it would be beneficial to get the ordeal over and done with as soon as possible, the welling panic in her heart having a larger chance of killing her than the embarrassment. With a final sigh of resignation, she wandered to her painting to pick it up and tucked it under her arm, before quickly making her way out the front door.

She stepped out into the street and waited several minutes for a taxi to drive past, worried that she may be wasting more time than she may have perceived. She reminded herself that she may have to go shopping in the future and get a wristwatch for herself. Luckily, a taxi finally arrived and she got in, and was met with a pleasant surprise. The taxi driver was the driver from yesterday, possibly driving this road as part of his routine. He turned from his seat and faced her, stating "I had a feeling you'd need a lift at some point this morning". Ashley simply smiled in response as he pulled away, asking "Back to the museum, please".

Eventually they arrived outside the museum and Ashley stepped out, paying the driver handsomely and waving goodbye as he returned to the main road. She took her painting under her arm and slowly made her way to the front door, mentally planning an excuse for her lack of versatility. She pushed the door open and looked around inside the building, never having the chance to get a proper look at some of the furnishings in the building. She decided she might as well kill some time by witnessing the concoctions of previous artists.

She looked around the first floor and examined several ceramic statuettes on a row of podiums, each moulded into the shape of a person's head. She didn't recognise any names or faces, however, and she continued towards the end of the building. She gasped with delight as she spotted a bar, fitted with cabinets full of various drinks. She rushed over and was prepared to ask the bartender for any recommendations when she froze with shock, recognising the bartender the moment he turned to face her

"Bob?!" she exclaimed in disbelief, the man simply smiling in response as he continued drying the glass in his hand. "You look like you could use a drink, Ashley" he offered kindly, "What would you like today?" Ashley blushed at his kindness and was conflicted on her choices. She wasn't an avid drinker, but also wasn't shy of the occasional glass or two. As of today, the last thing she wanted was to say or do anything she would regret, and therefore decided to have some apple juice.

As he obliged and began tipping the juice into a spare glass, Ashley admitted "I seriously had no idea you worked here, Bob. That's so cool". Bob laughed heartily and answered "That is a pretty huge coincidence isn't it? I hear you're applying for that job as an artist". Ashley nodded and answered "Yeah… I need to show them… some of my paintings to get the job", her voice beginning to break towards the end as her tension returned.

At that moment, Bob noticed the canvas under Ashley's arm, asking curiously "Mind if I have a look at that?" Ashley immediately knew what he meant and instinctually tucked it under her arm, afraid to receive any criticism from what she thought was the nicest man on the planet. However, afraid to be considered rude for not expressing herself towards others, she nodded slowly and held the canvas in front of her for Bob to see.

"Good lord! That's incredible!" he gasped with delight, "I didn't realise you were _that_ good!" These compliments instantly rekindled that spark of faith in herself that had long been doused. She blushed lightly and answered "Well, I feel like I've gone wrong somewhere…". Bob waved his hand and turned his head away in defiance, "Don't be so modest, Ashley. You seriously haven't done anything wrong from what I can see".

She tucked the painting back under her arm and looked up at the clock on the wall, reading '9:12 am'. Ashley groaned as she knew that the critic would be expecting her any moment now. She faced Bob and said "Thanks so much, Bob. I have to get going now. The critic will be expecting me now". Bob nodded in understanding and answered "Well, don't let me keep you, girl. You're about to make history!" With this final encouragement, Ashley waved goodbye as she began her ascent to the upper floor.

Finding herself in a familiar room, Ashley passed through the multiple art desks and easels in search of her specific associate. "Ready, Ashley?" a voice spoke from behind her as she jumped in fright, turning to see none other than the critic who looked as equally surprised. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I uhh… I've… finished it… for you" she stumbled with her words as her confidence began crumbling at an alarming rate. She held the artwork forwards as an offering for her superior consultant, her arms trembling as the critic reached forward to grab it.

The critic watched her as she took the painting to examine, witnessing as Ashley slowly began to quake and tremble with genuine fear. Sympathetically, she explained "Don't worry so much, Ashley. I'm not going to murder you if I don't like it, you know". This joke did little to comfort Ashley as she admitted "Sorry, it's just that… I've come all the way to Oasis Springs for this job and I'm worried I didn't do good enough because I spent all of last night working on it and I might have been too tired to notice any mistakes I made while painting it to show you and for you-"

"It's perfect".

Ashley's panic attack was cut short by these simple words; simple, but powerful. The critic looked upon the landscape as she continued "The detail is amazing, the emphasis on distance is simple to follow and the environment itself is beautiful to look at". Ashley could feel her body become lighter than air from these words, a weight being lifted from her shoulders. "Be sure to check in next week, Ashley. I'll be sure to have work for you".

Ashley had to fight the urge to suddenly ensnare the critic in a spine-crushing hug, instead cupping her hands on her mouth and hyperventilating from the shock. "Thank you so much…" she wheezed, her eyes on the verge of tears. This is everything that she had been setting up for in the past five months, everything she wanted coming together right before her eyes. The critic was excited for such a hopeful and inspired woman, but had become concerned for her stability after such an ungracious breakdown.

"I have to admit though, I'm a little bit concerned for you" the critic explained, immediately bringing Ashley back down to planet earth. The critic could easily read "what do you mean?" on her face, prompting her to continue "I don't want you be paranoid about working here, especially if you're getting paid for what you do". The critic took Ashley's hand in her own and shook it, concluding "We're all friends here, Ashley."

Ashley left the painting in the care of the museum as she descended the stairs to the first floor, before she heard a voice call out to her. Bob was waving her over as he pointed down to the counter, "Ashley, you forgot your drink!" Ashley slapped her forehead and chuckled before heading over to take it. She placed her payment for the drink in Bob's outstretched hand and began drinking her beverage, all while telling Bob about how the meeting went.

"Well, you have to admit you have been rather… jittery recently. You need to find something to help you relax" Bob recommended as Ashley took a short sip from her glass. "I know… I just don't know where anything is around here" Ashley confessed. Bob grinned smugly and stated "Well, you know where my bar is, so…". Ashley hung her head as she chuckled lightly, surprised to find a devious side to Bob's personality.

She soon took her leave as she bid goodbye to Bob and thanked him for the drink. She flagged down a taxi and returned home, stepping out after paying the driver and heading inside. The heat had amplified in the time that passed and was almost unbearable for the young woman. She pushed through the front door and collapsed on the couch, far too many things running through her head to maintain her focus.

"What the hell was I thinking?!" she groaned as she held her head in her hands, "I must've looked completely insane to her!" She could tell that the critic was bothered by the way she acted, her disturbed reaction being plain on her face from the way she looked at her. She was so angry at herself for panicking so much, as it was ironically what might likely stand in the way of her achieving this job. Ashley held her breath, praying that the critic may look past her episode and she her skills above all else.

Ever since she came to Oasis springs, everyone had been expressing worry for her following her most vulnerable moments. Bob was at least kind enough to disregard it and support her with achieving her goals, but the people she'll work for will undoubtedly make a record of her overly-emotional outburst. Impulsively, Ashley began hitting her head with both her clenched fists.

Ashley found herself unable to move for several minutes as she leaned back against the backrest of the couch. She was so annoyed with herself and didn't know how to best relieve her welling stress. All of her dreams were right in her grasp and she almost blew it, but she had nobody else to blame but herself for her own insecurity. Ashley leaned forward and sniffed miserably, a pair of tears streaming down her cheeks.

She felt so lonely and confused, like a little girl lost in a city. She needed someone to talk to about her problems, but couldn't think of anyone she could trust with the details. She needed someone to keep an eye on her and to help her when she needed it. She stood up from the couch as her eyes became misty and lifeless, knowing that she was far too cowardly and reclusive to share anything about herself to someone else.

Already feeling a headache threaten to flourish, she decided to save her troubles for a later date and headed into the kitchen. As she entered, her eyes caught a glimpse of something sitting on the edge of the kitchen bench. She looked down and picked up the small piece of folded paper, instantly remembering its origin from that mysterious woman. She hadn't seen Lea since she was given her number, but in the short time they spent together, Ashley felt entirely safe in her presence. Perhaps this is her chance to get some answers.

She pulled out her phone and read the number, dialling it into the keypad and holding it to her ear to wait out the dial tone. The moment a familiar voice spoke "I had a feeling you'd call, Ashley", Ashley's hair almost stood on end. "How did you know it was me?!" she spat in fright into the mouthpiece, receiving only a chuckle as an answer. "Do you need some company tonight, Ashley?" Lea offered with a puff of uncountable laughter, Ashley interrupting her and replying "No! Not tonight. You have some questions to answer!"

"Perhaps tomorrow then, Ash? I'll see you then" Lean offered with confirmation clear in her voice. Before Ashley had the chance to process what Lea had said and attempt to speak against it, the phone line went dead. Ashley's arm fell to her side and she nearly let her phone fall to the floor, "What the bloody hell just happened?!" This Lea person seemed to be extremely hard to converse with, but she would have to try her best for when she arrives tomorrow.

In the next hour, a dinner was eaten and a shower was had before she approached her easel, prepared to create her next artwork with a portrait in mind. Granted, she had no photographs or pictures to base her artwork on, and was therefore forced to create an original impression of a person. The first person that came to mind was Bob Pancakes, and she quickly set to work on mixing the colours and preparing the outlines before she could possibly change her mind.

The artwork was not going well and Ashley was already almost finished, having only spent five minutes working on it. Ashley had no need to continue painting, but felt compelled to due to her obsession with completing her tasks. The thought of starting something and leaving it unfinished was almost physically painful to Ashley and she refused to let it happen here. Eventually, even though the final product was less than worthwhile, she was pleased to be finished.

Disappointed that painting no longer helped to relieve her stress, she eventually gave up and headed for bed. She slipped under the blankets and tried her best to sleep. Due to the bed's capacity for two, Ashley found herself sprawling across the entire mattress in an attempt to find comfort. All while she tried, she eventually exhausted her efforts and her eyes began to drift shut as she fell asleep.


	5. Day 5 - Uninvited Aggressor

Ashley didn't open her eyes to signify her state of consciousness, but she had no reason to. She leaned upwards and stretched her arms, feeling cosy after a sleep for the first time in a long while. She stepped out of bed and stretched a second time, intending to confirm the state of her body frame's integrity. She turned the knob to the living room and stepped into the awaiting light, her eyes shutting tightly on instinct.

She turned left and entered the bathroom to go about her business, though she felt surprised the she wasn't hungry this morning like she had expected. Upon cleaning herself up and leaving into the living room once again, she turned to the easel and approached it with intent to pass the time. She took her pallet and cleaned off the expended colours before pouring the new colours in, her paintbrush readied in her other hand.

She envisioned a tree standing in an open field, the detail enhanced by a bright blue sky for the majority of the background. Unlike yesterday, she felt unwound and relaxed while painting, sparing her from the desire to pour her soul into it. Therefore, she decided to paint for her own entertainment, at the sacrifice of the painting's quality. She wasted no time second-guessing her actions when a shoddily crafted tree and cartoony stars began to emerge from her craftsmanship.

Upon deeming her abomination finished, she sighed with relief, the act of abandoning her dignity for this one moment aiding in quelling her perfectionism. She took the painting and simply pushed it aside onto the floor, its purpose having been served for today. She stretched her arms once again as she basked in the sunlight, inviting the sensation of the rays to reflect upon her skin. "I love weekends" she confided into the empty room, pleased to finally rest after spending three days without the luxury of relaxation.

Suddenly, there was a knock on her front door, and Ashley immediately knew who it must've been. She gave an irritated growl as she turned and stormed towards the front door, twisting the knob and pulling the door open. "When you said you were gonna-" she exclaimed through her clenched teeth, but was silenced when she suddenly realised that it wasn't Lea she was exploding at, but instead, an auburn-haired woman she hadn't met.

"Oh I'm so sorry! I thought you were someone else!" Ashley quickly apologised, guilt welling in her heart as the girl stepped back in fright from her yelling. Thankfully the woman calmed herself and answered "That's okay. I thought I'd catch you early in the morning before you went anywhere". The girl thought it would be best to explain herself, so she continued "Me and some of my friends came over to your house on Thursday, but you weren't here".

Ashley gasped and answered "Oh, sorry about that. I was at the art museum", realising that they must've been waiting for so long and wasting their time for her sake. "I thought so. Bob said that you got a job as an artist" the girl inquired curiously, Ashley nodding as she answered "Uh-huh. I came all the way here from my old home in Pleasantview to get this job. I'm so happy!"

The girl smiled for her and informed "I reckon you're gonna love living here, Ashley. Don't be afraid to chat with me and my friends some time". The girl then took a piece of paper from her pocket with a pen and began writing something on it, Ashley already suspecting what it was. The girl offered her the paper and Ashley found multiple different phone numbers on it, the former stating "I have to head off now. Be sure to make some friends while I'm gone!" Ashley nodded as the girl waved goodbye and returned to the sidewalk.

Ashley shut the door as she finally began to feel hungry, prompting her to head into the kitchen and make a quick sandwich for herself. She gathered some bologna and laid it in bread along with some tomato and lettuce, deciding to be healthy for this one meal. She carefully took the sandwich in both hands as she made her way to the pair of seats outside the kitchen counter and seated herself. She made short work of the sandwich before she pondered what to do next.

She chose to head into her bedroom and started to change out of her sleepwear, locking the door behind her out of habit. Suddenly, as she pulled her shirt down to her waist, several sharp knocks echoed through what she assumed was the front door. "I'll be there in a minute!" she called out as she unlocked the bedroom door, swiftly heading into the living room and opening the front door for her visitor. Ashley's eyes widened as she realised who it was, along with the fact that she had so quickly forgotten her foretold arrival.

Lea smiled warmly as the pair gazed into eachother's eyes, Lea greeting "Ashley! You look amazing today!" "God, what the hell is up with this woman?!" Ashley thought to herself but instead replied "Oh… uhh… thanks, you look…. really good yourself". Lea was wearing a woollen white seater with sleeves that ended at the elbow and an excessively short miniskirt, helping to show off her shapely legs and her white high heels. This outfit, from what Ashley remembered, was definitely far less elegant than her previous attire, but only by very little.

"Have you been feeling well lately, Ashley? I heard about what happened at the museum" Lea explained with a sympathetic expression, which did little to help Ashley's rising anxiety. "How do you know about that? Were you there to see it?" Ashley sneered, the venom in her statement entirely apparent to her visitor. "Well, no. But I did _hear_ about it" Lea explained, "Everyone has been talking about it".

Ashley's jaw fell open in panic, but Lea quickly intervened before she could begin to crumble and explained "But that's why I came to visit you". Having support from friends was more than enough to make Ashley feel small, but the condolences from this complete stranger fuelled her sense of independence. Lea then concluded "I'm so happy for you that you got that job… I think you're too good a person to he turned down". As much as she refused to trust her, Ashley began to believe that she was misjudging this woman, considering Lea may just be overly friendly towards everyone she met.

Ashley lowered her defences and admitted "I've been beating myself up a bit for being so paranoid". For the first time, Lea's smile disappeared as she exclaimed "You shouldn't have to, Ash! We all get a bit worried sometimes, it's nothing to be ashamed of, girl". "Thanks, Lea. I'm trying my best" Ashley admitted, though Lea could tell that she was still on edge about the whole situation. Finally, Lea decided that words were not enough to comfort her friend.

Lea slid her arms around Ashley's shoulders like a pair of constricting pythons and ensnared her in a warm embrace, resting her head comfortably on Ashley's shoulder. The poor girl could hardly process this bold action, but decided to go with it and hugged back. Lea soon released Ashley and the latter sighed wistfully, admiring how affectionate this woman could be to strangers. She decided that such generosity should be rewarded as she held the door open, asking "Would you like to come in, Lea?"

Lea waved her hand and simply answered "I just wanted to come over and see if you were doing okay, girl". Confused, and strangely disappointed, Ashley replied "Oh... Well, okay. I'll see you around then". Lean smiled a final time and waved as she turned to journey down the front pathway. Ashley sat at the door and faced the wall in deep thought, before raising her hand and shrugging indifferently. "I guess I was a bit timid. I'd like to see her again".

"Like to see who again?"

Ashley was startled by this unexpected voice and looked up to see a person she'd not met before. A girl with short, red hair and dressed in a black shirt with tan shorts and pale boots. "Who are you talking about?" the girl asked, though Lea had already disappeared from view by the time Ashley scanned across the sidewalk for her. "She was here a minute ago" Ashley stated, before quickly asking "Anyway, who are you?"

"' _Who are you?'_ Do you have to be so rude?!" the woman suddenly snapped, taking Ashley by surprise with her hostility. "Sorry… I don't mean to… upset you or-" Ashley stammered nervously, only for the girl to raise her hand in front of her face to silence her. "I've been hearing about you from everywhere, Ashley. Everyone thinks it's great to have you here. Not every day we get someone moving here to this shithole" the girl mocked.

Ashley's worried expression shifted into a scowl, having finally understood the kind of person she was dealing with here. "If only they knew how much of a rude bitch you were to me!" the woman finally concluded her rant. Ashley raised her eyebrow with her arms crossed, as if she had waited for a child to finish a tantrum.

The girl looked past Ashley into the darkness that shrouded much of her home, "God, I heard you were timid. I didn't realise you were a complete emo". Ashley tensed with rage from this insult as the girl continued "Suddenly everything makes more sense. That hair, your clothes, you getting people to feel bad for your sorry ass…". Little did this woman know that Ashley had prepared a massive retaliation against her bitter words.

Ashley grinned fiendishly and retorted "Wow… You come here and mock the way _I_ look? _You_ look like you clean up horseshit for a living!" If only Ashley could've pulled her phone out in time to take a photo of the girl's face, she probably could've become a millionaire. The girl looked ready to explode, but Ashley slammed the door in her face before she could. Ashley was under the impression that she had finally dealt with that woman and was prepared to move on with her day.

"Let me in, you rude bitch!" suddenly reverberated across every corner of the house as the girl burst through the door and stormed inside. Ashley spun around to see the girl looking around her house and shouted "Get the hell out of my house!" This woman didn't seem intent on listening to her and began examining all of the house's furnishings. "Damn, girl. You are so cheap" she huffed, "No wonder you don't have a man".

As she said this, the girl heard a soft click followed by a beep, turning around to see Ashley with her cell phone. "I swear. Get out or I'm calling the police!" Ashley threatened, though the girl just rolled her eyes and replied "Whatever. I don't even want to be here now. See ya round, bitch". Feeling herself at the breaking point, Ashley went to her fridge and retrieved a plastic cup of juice, before following the unsuspecting redhead to the door.

"Hey, heads up!" Ashley called out, waiting for the girl to turn around and directly face her. She had her chance. She thrust the cup forwards to splash the contents in the girls face, but both were genuinely confused when nothing came out. Ashley tipped her cup upside-down and the contents slowly slid out and fell to the floor as a solid mass. The girl burst out laughing and turned to walk away, Ashley just slamming the door as her frustration began to overcome her rational thinking.

Ashley flopped onto the couch and began watching TV to relieve her stress, the night sky emerging in the window to her right. Suddenly, there was a loud crashing sound outside her house, instantly sending her to the bedroom window to find the source of the commotion. She found her garbage bin tipped over and heaps of rubbish sprawled across the ground, along with the culprit herself.

The redhead girl stared back at her through the window before raising her hand to flip her the bird, her final act of aggression before she took her leave. Ashley trembled where she stood, both her anger and her reason threatening to tear her mind apart. On impulse, Ashley slid into her bed and pulled the covers over, unwilling to deal with anymore torment for today.


	6. Day 6 - Snowy Cottage

Ashley had fallen asleep very early into yesterday after her vicious encounter with that woman, and her sleep was unfortunately uncomfortable and fitful thanks to her welling level of stress. Because of such an early crash, Ashley found herself stirring awake within a surrounding darkness. She sat up and gazed around her bedroom until she spotted a field of stars outside her window. Ashley shut her eyes and hung her head before she fell back onto her bed once again, her head colliding against the soft pillow.

She tried her best to return to the realm of dreams, but her body simply refused to allow her the satisfaction. Clenching her fists and growling under her breath, she jumped out of bed and clumsily staggered through her open bedroom door. As she passed the bathroom, she ran her fingers through her hair and was met with a greasy surprise. Sweaty hair had not surprised her, considering the terrible heat and the lack of a shower from yesterday.

Suddenly, she decided to mend this mistake as she entered the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She undressed herself beside the shower and turned the faucet, intentionally basking in a stream of cold water as she stepped under the showerhead. She washed herself and cleansed her hair of the foul grime, intending primarily to enjoy the cold embrace of the night air and the running flow of water.

Sadly, all things must come to an end and Ashley was dismayed to leave her shower and dry herself off. After redressing herself in the combination of a t-shirt and a set of gym shorts, she left the bathroom and journeyed into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and allowed the freezing gust of air to wash over her, before she began shuffling around for something to eat. Eventually, her hand brushed across a container wrapped in cling-wrap. She pulled it out and held it in both hands to examine it, discovering it to be fish segmented in slices.

Shrugging, she pulled it out and took it to the stove, dumping the contents into a pan and heating the stove to the right temperature. She sat back and shifted the pan in a circular motion until her attention was drawn to the window, a faint hue of orange and gold streaming across the tiled floor and up her legs. With her fish finally cooked, she took a plate of her breakfast and sat at her bench to eat. She finished her meal and licked her lips with satisfaction, astounded that the fish turned out as good as it had.

She took the plate upon completion and brought it into the kitchen, placing it in the sink and turning the tap to run water upon its surface. She was prepared to clean it when a scent filled her nose and halted her in her tracks, a pungent smell of garbage. She had no need to question its origin as she stepped through the back door and looked across her backyard with her arms folded. She sneered as the sight of littered garbage and a tipped over bin lay before her, memories returning of yesterday's events.

Dutifully, if reluctantly, she took her garden rake and swept up the stray pieces of refuse, leading it in one pile back inside the bin and tipping it right-side-up. Upon finishing, she clenched her teeth in frustration for not cleaning this mess before she had her shower. She returned to the kitchen and realised that she had left the tap running, deciding to at least wash her hands after such filthy labour.

Ashley then headed into the bathroom once again and used the toilet to relieve herself, before finishing and cleaning her hands for the second time in only a few minutes. As her hands were rinsed of the excess soap, she stared hollowly into the mirror as her reflection stared back. "That bitch…" she huffed under her breath, "I swear… terrible things will happen if she comes back". The moment these words resounded within the bathroom, Ashley turned the tap off and returned to the living room.

As she stepped towards the heart of the room, she focused on the easel and how naked it looked without one of her canvases sitting upon it. Surrendering to the urge, she took and large canvas and sat it snugly inside the vice, feeling in the mood to make an exceptionally large artwork and handing it to the museum. She decided to create an enlightening environment of a warm cottage in a snowy forest, the very idea filling her chest with a comforting warmth.

She prepared the colours and began the outline of the cottage, giving it a pair of chimneys and bright yellow streams of light reflecting upon the snow. The surrounding environment was given a frozen lake sitting between a pair of dead trees, whilst the background was a simple row of forestry. She always loved the idea of living somewhere where is snowed, imagining playing in the snow and watching snowflakes through her window. The cottage she had painted seemed like one that she would have for a holiday home, somewhere where both her and Lea could spend the-.

Ashley immediately froze as stiff as a board, her pallet and paintbrush barely remaining in her grasp.

"Where the hell did that come from?" she asked openly into the room, feeling awkward for imagining such a scenario. She wanted to return to her painting, but the thought always gave her pause. Desperate for a distraction from her own imagination, she turned to the television and changed it to the music channel. Immediately, a pop song she didn't recognise began playing and she returned to her painting.

The plan did the trick; Ashley continued painting for the following hour as songs continued to play in the background. By eight o'clock, she had begun adding the final touches to her artwork before she deemed it completed. She stood back to examined the fruit of her labours, feeling especially proud of how brilliant this one had turned out. She smiled to herself, believing that the art museum would definitely want to have this one amongst the collection.

With her mind on the subject, she glanced over to the clock in the kitchen and read the time. In response, she took the painting and laid it beside the front door before heading into her bedroom to change. She threw on a floral t-shirt and a casual pair of jeans with her running shoes, before finally taking the painting under her arm and exiting to the street. She stood at the sidewalk and waved down a taxi, the driver stopping to let her in.

By the time Ashley arrived at the museum, a feeling of drowsiness washed over her, possibly from the lack of sleep she had last night. She stepped out and only barely remembered to pay the driver, before making her way to the entrance. The moment she entered, she was amazed she didn't pass out from the effect of the air-conditioning, and barely kept herself afloat as she made her way to the far end of the building and into the studio.

As she entered, she spotted her boss approaching her. "Welcome back, Ashley" the boss greeted politely, but suddenly frowned upon gazing into Ashley's baggy eyes, "Lord, you look ready to collapse". "Eh… Just a bad night's sleep" Ashley explained with a shrug before holding her painting out to the boss, "Here's one more for the collection". With her energy swiftly declining, she went to her workbench and set to work on her next painting, not having time to hear the boss' thoughts on her latest work.

This was gonna be a long day.

Hours passed by like seconds while Ashley painted, and her work hours were over before she even realised. She took her pay from the main desk in the lobby before she headed outside, absolutely ready to crash the moment she even entered her home. She managed to get a taxi and got home around five o'clock in the afternoon, further astounding her with how much time had passed while she had been sitting in front of a canvas.

She got out at her home and stepped inside, her eyes immediately fixing upon the couch. She trudged wearily towards it and ungraciously fell forward without restraint, colliding comfortably with the leather material and quickly falling asleep. Over a half-hour passed by as she slumbered until she finally began to emerge from her fatigued state. She sat up and shifted her arms and jaw to relax the straining muscles before she sat back and wondered what to do next.

She turned to face the window and found a ducky sky, darkening rapidly to further specify the time. She stood up and held her hands on her hips before pushing her stomach out, adding pressure to her back to test its consistency. Sighing contently, she made her way to the kitchen and searched the fridge for something to eat, finally settling on a quick salad to save on time. She poured the packet into a bowl and mixed the contents together, before seating herself at the bench and digging in.

As much as she didn't what to admit it, Ashley was beginning to miss talking to her old friends. Bob hadn't been at work for today and Lea hadn't shown up at any point, though the latter was possibly because she hadn't been given permission like last time. Disappointed and feeling slightly lonely, Ashley eventually surrendered to the oncoming night and headed for her bedroom. She lay on her mattress and pulled the covers across her frame, quickly feeling her senses become nullified as her eyes shut.


	7. Day 7 - Toxin

The moment Ashley opened her eyes, she sighed peacefully before snuggling under her covers. She sat up from her bed, an unexpected wave of energy coursing through her body as she stood upright from the mattress. She was feeling ecstatic after such a soothing rest and was prepared to carry out her day without fear of any hassles she may face. As she stepped out of her bedroom, she took a turn and entered the bathroom, intending to have a warm shower to maintain this blissful state of mind.

By the time she had finished cleaning herself up and drying herself off, the morning sunlight shone through the gaps in the bathroom door. She left the bathroom and wandered into the kitchen, opening the fridge and deciding what to have for her morning meal. As soon as the syrup passed into her field of view, she grinned and mumbled to herself "Yep. Pancakes it is".

She took out the pancake mix and poured it onto the pan before placing it on the heated stove, shuffling and flipping until she was satisfied with the final results. Once the breakfast was deemed prepared, she planned to take them to the bench and eat them there, but was then distracted by a sound emanating outside. With the plate in hand, she carefully walked to the window and looked out onto the front yard, spotting a mailman placing a collection of envelopes into her mailbox.

The man took his leave by the time Ashley went outside and stood before her mailbox, her pancakes still resting in her palm. She slipped her free hand in and pulled the letters out, disappointed to find only the monthly bills for her home. With a sigh and a roll of her eyes, she went back inside and finally sat down to eat her pancakes, the letters resting on the counter beside her. When she was finished feasting, she sat back and held a hand against her stomach to memorise the warmth of the pancakes inside.

With her primary task completed, she rounded the corner into the kitchen and opened the envelopes, a pen ready to sign her signature for each bill. The electricity bill, the water bill and the gas bill were apparently delivered all on the same day, a genuine convenience for Ashley to pay them all at once. With her signatures signed, she left them on the table and glanced up at the clock, finding the current time to be half-past eight. Ashley remembered the post-box standing beside the museum and, as such, decided to deliver the payed bills from there.

She dressed herself and headed outside to flag down a taxi, having to wait several minutes until one finally passed by and stopped for her. She soon arrived at the museum at around a-quarter-to nine, taking her bills to the front door and spotting the post box. Sliding the letters in, she took relief in the lack of complications she could have had from those pesky bills and made her way inside.

The moment she entered, Ashley found herself in a sea of visitors, all wandering in groups to examine the artworks throughout the first floor. Amidst them, she found her boss leading a group and decided to join her. As she approached, the boss spotted her and said "Would you please excuse me for a moment, ladies and gentlemen?" to her audience. Ashley and the boss stood before eachother as the latter leaned closer and whispered "The Community Education groups are here and we're having a tour held for them".

"Oh… that would have been nice to know yesterday… or at all" Ashley stated, her confusion and irritation being completely justified in her eyes. The boss nodded and replied "Yes, it was my fault… I hadn't laid out the weekly plan properly. Sorry about this". Ashley shrugged with a reassuring grin as the boss seemed to get an idea, saying "Perhaps you can give them a demonstration of the studio with one of your paintings".

Ashley's eyes widened as she smiled with excitement, "Absolutely! I'll do my best" she assured confidently. The boss looked back and saw the group watching the pair negotiate, "I'd better get back to them. I suggest you get started on that painting". Nodding dutifully, Ashley made her way through the crowd towards the art studio to get prepared, the boss continuing her tour in the meantime.

Ashley entered the painting studio and was surprised to find that her co-workers were entirely absent, leaving the studio ominously barren. "Well, I guess she didn't tell me that nobody else was supposed to come either" Ashley grumbled as she made her way to her desk. For a moment, she stared blankly at the canvas sitting against her easel, unable to think of what to paint. Looking over her desk, she eventually decided to sort the materials she would need and store the rest away.

She pulled several of her paint cans and brushes to sort out before taking her discarded tools together in one arm, quickly standing and carrying them to the storage closet. After sorting out the unnecessary materials, here meaning simply dumping them together upon a single shelf, she returned to her desk and seated herself. She gathered the remaining cans together and began planning her painting.

She had been wanting to make another landscape artwork, but decided to make one that reflected the environment of Oasis Springs. Upon making her decision, she reached for the tins of orange, vermilion, gold and yellow and put them together for use. Ashley had always used tubes of paint for her paintings at home and was unused to using cans. She took a pallet knife from the left side of her desk and used it to pry the lid of the orange tin. She was surprised to find it sealed shut and applied extra pressure to the handle.

Suddenly, the tin's lid rocketed into the air with a loud pop and startled Ashley, drawing a sharp gasp from her. Fumes had been building up beneath the cover and spread wildly into the air, before quickly being sent down Ashley's throat and into her lungs. Ashley's eyes shot open as she gagged violently on the vile scent of paint in her nose and mouth, coughing hard enough to begin spattering saliva across her table.

"What the hell?!" she wheezed with pure fear, knowing that these fumes would hamper her ability to paint. She had learned about the effect of these fumes and their tendency to cause fatigue in the victim, along with some cases of hallucinogenic effects to her senses. Ashley's immediate instinct was to warn the boss and head home to recover, but felt the urge to stay and fulfil her request while simply endure her ailment to the end. After all, the boss would pay her overtime for this.

In the end, she clenched her fist in defiance and set to work with opening the remaining paint cans, knowing to keep her head clear of the fumes this time around. Mixing black together with red, she took the resulting crimson and began creating an outline of a horizon set before a desert landscape. The whole image resembled a scene from an old western film, though Ashley bared no fond memories of any such films.

As time rolled on, Ashley's condition worsened and her senses became evermore impeded. Ashley struggled to keep her eyes open and she could smell nothing but the foul fumes that she had inhaled, despite the clean air she currently breathed. Her muscles lost their strength and her arms dragged across the surface of the desk, only barely managing to hold to keep her tools in her grip. Within an hour's passing, she began to lose her focus as her eyesight started to shift and twist slightly, her painting quivering from her perspective.

Eventually, she heard footsteps from the entrance and the door was pushed open. As best as she could, Ashley shifted into a proper sitting stance and painted more fervently. Soon enough, she heard a familiar voice state "This is our studio, where our employees spend their hours creating many of the artworks you have seen". Ashley tried her best to appear as casual as possible to her crowd, daring not to expose her true state of consciousness to her observers.

"This is one of my employees, Miss Sun. She's currently working on one such project" the boss explained, inviting Ashley to turn to the group and wave politely, before quickly returning to her artwork. From around her, she could feel the awkward atmosphere based on the carrying silence, before she heard her boss said "And if you will follow me, I shall take you to the upper floor". As the crowd shuffled out the door, Ashley sighed with relief as her muscles slacked.

Finally, her work hours were about to end, but her ailment had only continued to worsen, to the point where she could barely keep herself on the seat. She heard the door open and looked over to see her boss approaching her. "You did well, Ashley. And your artwork looks great too" she complimented. As Ashley attempted to respond, she began to lose her balance and she fell forward against the table.

Sensing something awry, the boss ran too her side and shouted "Hey, Ashley. Are you okay?" Ashley struggled to lift herself back up as she muttered weakly "Sorry… I inhaled fumes… but I didn't wanna… make a problem". The boss was rightfully dumbfounded by this, "What?! And you stayed here for four hours?! You need to get home!" With her bosses help, Ashley staggered wearily to the main entrance and was brought outside to the parking lot.

"I'll drive you home, so just rest for now" the boss offered as Ashley was helped into the passenger seat. It only took several minutes to drive to her house, Ashley helping to give directions as they drove. After finally stopping outside her house, Ashley managed to step out of the car on her own and stumbled slightly as she tried to reach her front door. "Are you certain you'll be okay" the boss asked from her seat, Ashley simply nodding with a goofy smile as she stepped inside.

With whatever rationality she had left beckoning her to rest, she trudged awkwardly into the bedroom and flopped onto the mattress. She flipped over to lie on her back as she focused on her breathing, the ailment beginning to take a hold of her again. She knew that she might be in trouble and she would not to be able to handle it on her own, and thus tried to think of someone that might help her. Naturally, a certain name came to mind.

She pulled her phone from her pocket and dialled Lea's phone number in, hoping to hear her sexy voice over the line once again. Upon thinking this, she found herself giggling uncontrollably from how loopy she's become. "Hello?" was all she needed to hear from her phone before she explained the situation, "Hey, Lea. It's Ashley… Hehehehe… I've inhaled some fumes and feel a bit loopy…". "Oh god! I'm on my way!" Lea blared from the phone before the line went dead.

Ashley sat up from her bed the moment she heard a knock on the door, before she staggered over to answer it. As she pulled the door open, she felt her legs give out and she fell forward, only for a pair of hands to hold her steady. "Christ, Ashley. You look terrible!" an angelic voice echoed around her, prompting her to believe she had died and gone to heaven. She looked up with a silly grin to find a petrified Lea.

"I'm fine, Lea… I just need to rest… I'll be fine" Ashley muttered, though Lea didn't seem to be convinced, bless her heart. "Oh, I thought you were dying or you got hurt or something! I was so scared" Lea admitted, visibly tense from the panicking she must've been doing. "Well… would you like to come in… Lea?" Ashley offered, inviting Lea to bring her back inside to find a place to rest.

Suddenly, Ashley left Lea's arms and said "Hey! Let's take a selfie!" Confused but intrigued, Lea obliged as they entered the kitchen and stood together. Ashley pulled her phone out and held it in front of the two of them, the pair leaning in close together as the flash went off. Lea chuckled lightly at Ashley's enthusiasm as they both looked down at the photo, both delighted to see how perfectly happy they seem together.

Upon seeing this, a frown emerged on Ashley's face as she said "Thanks so much for coming over to take care of me, Lea". "That's what friends do" Lea answered as she held Ashley in a sideways hug with her head on Ashley's shoulder. "You are so good to me… I like seeing you… You are an amazing person" Ashley listed off before she suddenly got an Idea, "Now it's my turn to return the favour".

Ashley then stumbled to the fridge and opened it, asking "Would you like to stay over for dinner? _You_ can choose". Lea held her hand against her heart from this charitable offer, answering "Something with cheese if you can". "Grilled cheese it is, then" Ashley announced giddily before taking a block of cheese and placing it in a pan. Immediately expecting only pain and suffering to come out of this, Lea grabbed Ashley by her wrist as the latter placed the pan on the heated stove, "I think I should help you out with that".

The pair stood together as they prepared their dinner, Lea making sure Ashley didn't get herself hurt all the while. The cheese was eventually grilled to satisfaction and scooped into a plate for them to share, Ashley and Lea both taking the plate over to the pair of stools and seating themselves. Ashley was ravenous with her share due to her lack of nutrition since breakfast, while Lea was fairly formal and tidy with her own. With the grilled cheese finished, Lea lead Ashley over to the couch and the pair began watching the television together.

"I can't thank you enough for this" Ashley admitted, turning to face Lea on her left. "Me? I haven't done anything" Lea explained. Ashley shook her head and stated "You came here. You stayed for my sake… You took care of me when I needed it". Ashley stared longingly into Lea's eyes, who stared back in a similar fashion. Both scooted closer together before Ashley wobbled slightly, "Sorry… still not over the fumes".

As she said this, Lea wrapped her hand around Ashley's head and pulled it down into her lap, allowing the girl to find comfort from her soft thighs. Lea then began running her hands through the poor girl's hair, Ashley moaning from the soothing sensation it gave. "Thank you… Lea" she mumbled lazily, her eyes beginning to droop. Soon enough, Ashley fell asleep where she lay, comforted by her new best friend.


	8. Day 8 - Turn On

Ashley lay on her side the moment she stirred awake. She noticed this and felt confused, considering she would always wake up lying on her back in her bed. She opened her eyes and was greeted by the sight of a television screen, which finally offered clarity on the scenario. She sat up from the couch and leaned back against the backrest, beginning to remember the wonderful night she had spent with her new best friend.

As memories of their time together began to resurface, she grinned with delight as a sense of playfulness infested within her current attitude. She lifted herself from the couch and stretched her arms, already pondering what to have for breakfast. She stepped into the kitchen and pulled the fridge door open and began gazing across the many candidates, before reaching for the jug of milk and taking it to the sink. She opened the cabinet beside the fridge and took a glass from the collection of cups laying inside, before opening the lid of the jug and pouring the milk in.

After gulping down the healthy appetiser, she set the cup inside the sink and turned to look at the clock. Reading nine forty-three from the hands, her eyes shot open as her heart nearly burst through her chest from shear will. Work was in only half an hour away and she was destined to be late at this time. She cringed as she held the sides of her head, furious with her own incompetence once again. With no means of salvaging the lost time, she decided to warn her boss of the dilemma.

She pulled out her cell phone and dialled the museum's number in, before holding the phone to her ear and waiting patiently. "Hello?" a voice answered, Ashley immediately answering "Hey, it's Ashley. I'm gonna be a bit late. I'm sorry". "Oh, Ashley? I called you earlier today" the boss informed her, "I thought you had already left for work". "Really, what is it" Ashley asked, the boss replying with delight "I'm giving you a vacation day for the help you gave me yesterday".

A smile curled Ashley's lip as she cheered "Oh my god! Thank you so much, boss!" She could hear the boss chuckle from her joyous outburst before she said "Feel free to enjoy your break, Ashley. I'll see you tomorrow". As the line went dead and their conversation ended, Ashley pocketed her phone and held her hands on her hips, her mind reeling with ideas of how to spend her day away from work.

In the end, she began with her daily routine, consisting of her duties and her physical requirements. She began by heading into the bathroom and taking a quick shower, removing the dried sweat from her skin and the grease from her hair. When finished, she dressed herself in a casual outfit and stepped outside into the sunlight. She stretched her arms out and shut her eyes, basking contently in the sun's rays.

She looked around her home to find several people on the sidewalk, strolling or jogging and making their way to their own personal destination. One such person was a jogging man wearing a pair of sunglasses, dressed in a befitting red t-shirt and blue athlete's pants. The man seemed surprised to see her watching him and soon began jogging up her pathway until he was standing in front of her.

"Hey there, Ashley. We haven't met" the man greeted, "I work at the local stadium". Ashley, having little interest in any athletic activities, simple answered "Oh… Well, nice to meet you" as she shook hands with him. "I'm Jameson Huntington. Everyone in the neighbourhood has been talking a lot about you, Ashley. You seem pretty cool" the man stated in a relaxed tone. Feeling her cheeks flare up, Ashley stammered "Oh… I, uh… guess I _have_ stirred some attention recently".

The man grinned melancholically as he wiped the sweat from his brow, saying "Y'know, you're always welcome to visit the gym if you feel up for it". Suddenly frowning from embarrassment, Ashley held a hand to her stomach and squirmed where she stood, but Jameson realised how she had misinterpreted his offer and intervened. "No no! I didn't mean it like that! I just meant as a hobby. It's good to make sure you're in good health".

"Oh… I feel like I should, but I don't think fitness is my thing" Ashley admitted as she rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. Jameson shrugged in understanding as he wiped some more sweat from his forehead. Deciding to be generous, Ashley asked "Would you like to come inside and rest?" Jameson suddenly let out a long sigh and answered "Oh, yes please. I've been running for almost a half hour".

Ashley led the weary man inside and brought him to sit on the couch, allowing him to pass the time however he pleases. "Make yourself at home" Ashley offered as she wandered to her bookshelf for something to pass the time. Jameson then turned around to face her and asked "Actually, mind passing me one of those?" Ashley began searching through her books and asked "Which one would you like?", Jameson shrugging and answering "Any would be fine, thanks".

Ashley took a random book and tossed it to him before taking one for herself, both of them setting to reading their own books. As the man read, Ashley's thoughts had instead focused on the man himself. She thought about how attractive this man was and how much attention he might get from women like her. She wondered if he offered the advice to visit the gym just so he could see her, or vice-versa.

She grinned deviously at how this man was possibly flirting with her, possibly seeking a relationship. She began to feel giddy at the thought of having her first admirer, having never gotten this kind of attention in her life. Perhaps she should play along and see how committed he is to a relationship they could share. Maybe she could have a boyfriend, one who supports her and would live together with her. A boyfriend who could end up becoming her-

"I might not stay for too long. My girlfriend will be wondering where I am."

Within an instant, Ashley felt her mind crash back down to planet earth like a meteorite. Frowning in disappointment, she asked "Will she come looking for you?" Jameson answered "Dunno. Probably. I had better get going now" before standing up from the couch and making his way to the door, "Thanks for letting me stay here". As he opened the door, he was halted in his tracks to find a woman standing before him. She had long and silky raven hair and was dressed in a red silk dress with black stockings and red high heels.

"Jameson, what are you doing here? I've been looking all over for you" the woman explained. "Hey Zoe! I'm so sorry I'm late. I stopped here to take a break from my jog… guess I took a bit too long" Jameson admitted as she folded her arms, clearly unswayed. Ashley wandered up behind him and greeted "Hi there. I'm Ashley" to her newest visitor. Ashley held out her hand and Zoe shook it, the latter saying "Good to finally meet the new girl on the block".

Ashley and her two guests made themselves at home in her house and spent the night trading life stories. The pair seemed most intrigued by Ashley's story, and Ashley was pleased to be making more friends during her first few weeks in this town. Eventually, Zoe and Jameson decided to re-join their planned schedule and take their leave, waving goodbye to Ashley as they both headed out through the front door.

The moment they left, Ashley set about using the bathroom, not wanting to have been rude towards her guests during their stay. When finished, she left the bathroom and returned to the kitchen, planning to prepare her dinner. Ever since meeting him, she had begun feeling restless and unfocused, the image of his muscles and charming looks on her mind. She began to feel lonely again and was hoping to find some way of overcoming it.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, halting Ashley in her tracks as she headed over to answer it. She predicted it to possibly be either Zoe or Jameson, or possibly both of them together, since she had not invited anybody else to visit her. As she opened the door and saw her visitor, she was surprised to find Lea standing before her, smiling with her hands held to gather in front of her.

"Lea! Oh, uh… I wasn't expecting you" Ashley stammered nervously, though the sound of Lea's chuckle was enough to relax her. "Don't worry. I thought you might just like some company" Lea explained, her soothing voice intoxicating the poor girl's senses. "Well, thanks, Lea. I've uh… had some things on my mind lately" Ashley admitted before stepping aside with the door wide open, "Please, come in".

Lea stepped inside and followed Ashley into the living room, asking curiously "Has something been troubling you?" Ashley began to squirm uncomfortably from the topic and Lea was aware of this fact. Lea approached her from behind and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Would you like to talk about it?" Ashley loved the warmth that Lea's hand sent through her arm, but was still evasive about the subject.

"Can you uh… keep a secret… for me?" Ashley barely spoke as her anxiety began to surface, entirely evident to the onlooking consultant. Lea knew that this secret must've been extremely difficult for her to bear if she reacted in such an extreme fashion, deciding to comfort the girl and allow her the chance to recuperate. "I can. And I will" Lea reassured, their relationship and her calm tome helping Ashley to tell her secret.

"I'm feeling… turned on".

Lea raised an eyebrow and asked "Why? What happened today?" with her hand still on Ashley's shoulder. Ashley began to shrink into herself as she explained "Today… this guy came over, and he was so _hot_! I thought he was being flirty with me but he had a girlfriend". Ashley sat on the couch as she continued "I feel really hollow… I haven't had sex before, or even had a _boyfriend_ before… I feel like I'm missing out on so many great things in my life".

Ashley held her head in her hands as her explanation brought a welling pain in her chest. Lea sat beside her and wrapped an arm around Ashley's shoulders, "I wouldn't think over these things too often, Ash. You might need a distraction or you'll get obsessed". Ashley suddenly imagined herself as a nymphomaniac chasing men down the street, an image that pulled a giggle from her. "I guess" Ashley sighed, smiling innocently to her friend.

Ashley then yawned as her eyes began to droop wearily, Lea quickly responding by pulling her friend up from the couch and taking her to the bedroom. "Thanks, Lea… for being here" Ashley yawned sleepily as she slid under the covers of her bed, Lea watching as Ashley began to drift to sleep. "Crap, she never had her dinner" Lea sighed before taking her leave. The last sound Ashley heard was the front door clicking shut.


	9. Day 9 - Public Display

Ashley awoke to a low rumble emanating from beneath her sheets and a sharp pain in her stomach, instantly understanding the reason for this commotion. "Oh god… shut up, stomach!" she growled sleepily as her hand slid under the covers and rested atop her waist. A second painful churn sent Ashley rising slowly forward from her bed, stretching her arms forward as she stared down at the covers beneath her.

After eventually dragging herself from the bed and towards the door, staggering like a zombie all the while, the sudden shift in her posture resulted in the need to use her bathroom. "Gergh… one thing after another" she grunted as she entered the bathroom and locked the door behind her before going about her business. Finally finished, she was dismayed to find herself feeling even hungrier afterwards, further beckoning her to have something before she starved.

She headed into the kitchen with her thoughts on eating something quick, not feeling up to cooking or preparing anything complicated before actually getting to eat. As a result, she took the milk jug from the fridge and poured herself a bowl of cereal, taking it to the bench and setting to work on it. She found herself smiling as her stomach began to relent its viscous torment on her midriff. After finishing, she left the bowl and stepped into the living room.

As she stepped into the path of the sunlight streaming through her windows, the warmth of the rays seemed to actively give her energy. She straightened her posture as she sat down on the couch, having some time to kill before she would need to get ready for work. She flipped through the channels on the TV and hadn't found any to be enticing in the least. However, the mediocre shows she found were not the reason why she felt so low.

She thought back to the fun times she had with friends, the conversations they had and the things they did together. Those had been the best moments she'd had so far and wished that they would happen more often. She looked around her living room as an unsettling sense of isolation began to manifest, leaving her beginning to feel the cold atmosphere of loneliness once again. She felt like she should try and be more sociable with her neighbours, rather than just hiding her problems behind her paintings.

Unfortunately, the latter was all she had.

She stood up and wandered over to her easel before setting a fresh canvas upon it, planning to relieve her mind of these thoughts by distracting herself with her work. She took up her pallet and began squeezing the necessary paints onto it, all planned specifically for a portrait. She envisioned a woman facing sideways, the woman exposing only the left half of her face. She took up her paintbrush and used a beige colour to create the outlines.

She spent several minutes pouring exceptional effort into this artwork, giving the girl long eyelashes and blonde streaks into her otherwise chocolate brown hair. She added make-up effects including red lipstick and faded blush on the woman's cheeks, creating a relatively attractive character. However, as she began to add the finer details into the artwork, she paused and turned away from her canvas to glance over at the kitchen clock.

8:22 am.

Had it not been covered in wet paint at that moment, Ashley would have likely rammed her head into, and possibly through, the canvas. She had wasted so much precious time when she should have been dressed and prepared for work by now. Her painting would have to wait until this afternoon as she quickly left her tools and ran to her bedroom to get dressed. She put on a casual t-shirt with her athletic jeans and a pair of high heeled boots, before leaving through the front door and into the street to catch a taxi.

Her work day was the most monotonous of all she'd had since she came to Oasis Springs. Rather than a majority of her time being dedicated to her paintings, she was spending most of her hours servicing for other artists. In the end, she only finished a small painting by the time the hours were over, and found herself in a bad mood as she and the other artists began to take their leave. However, as she was about to leave through the front door, she was halted by the sight of her boss approaching her.

"Ashley, I'd like to have a word with you" she called to her, Ashley waiting patiently as the boss finally stood before her and cleared her throat. "The executives and I have come to an agreement, Ashley" the boss began, "Your artworks are eligible for display to the public". All at once, Ashley's bad mood have completely shifted as her irritated scowl switched to an overjoyed gasp. The boss then finished "With your permission, they will be displayed by tomorrow".

There had been so many narrowly avoided situations involving a sudden embrace with a superior figure, but Ashley had managed to restrain herself and settled with cheering "Oh my god! Oh my god! I can't believe it!" The boss smiled as the girl could barely contain her excitement, stating "You are also open to sell any of your paintings to us that you make away from work". Ashley couldn't take it anymore, and her arms sought control of their own actions and wrapped tightly around the figure in front of them.

After a nervous apology and a quick understanding, Ashley took her leave of the museum and caught a taxi back to her house. The moment she stepped out of the taxi, she leaped into the air and screamed with delight, having to contain herself simply based on being polite to the driver. She ran inside and leaped onto the couch, her arms pumped upwards into the air in victory.

First getting the job, and now getting a promotion and having her work displayed to the public, and all of this within the first two weeks. Her life goals were flashing before her eyes and she hadn't enough time to fully comprehend as each one passed by. With this excitement, there suddenly came the saddening return to reality as Ashley began to feel deflated of her prior joyous attitude.

She had no idea how to celebrate her accomplishments, and above all, she had nobody here to celebrate it with. Ashley sat up from the couch as she folded her arms, using them to support her body as she rested her elbows on her legs. She stared down at the ground as a sense of hopelessness engulfed her.

She wished that there was someone here that she could share the enjoyment with. She had made several friends in the past few days, but she hadn't known any of them well enough for them to share her excitement. Even Lea, as nurturing and supportive as she is, couldn't possibly be fond enough of her to share her moment of success. In the end, she simply sat in her living room, sitting quietly as the spark in her heart was slowly snuffed out.

As with this morning, she needed a distraction from these terrible thoughts, only now remembering her half-finished painting she had left. Instantly, she jumped up from the couch and made her way to the easel, pouring fresh paint into the pallet and taking up her paintbrush to get started. She decided to continue adding details into the hair first, applying differing strokes and shades of brown to distinguishing the individual stands more easily.

Next was detail in the eye, a luscious emerald green to oppose the black mascara, before adding thin grooves into the red lips. Finally, she began to cover over the outlines with colours, intending to hide the potentially cartoony effect they could have on an otherwise realistic painting. Finally, she was finished, and stood back to view her artwork as a whole, feeling very pleased with the overall result.

And yet, with her task completed, the anguish returned with a vengeance. This artwork had solved nothing, and no number of artworks she made from here would make a difference. Because she knew in her heart, that she was entirely alone in her world. Her years of reclusiveness and introversion had begun to affect her on an emotional level, and she began feeling depressed as a result.

Succumbing to her anguish, the forlorn artist made her way into the kitchen and decided to make herself some spaghetti for dinner, pulling a bag of noodles and a jar of bolognaise from the cabinet. She took a pair of pots and poured each batch of ingredient into a separate pot, filling the pot of noodles with hot water before setting both pots on the heated stove. Once complete, she poured the sauce and a scoop of noodles into a bowl and mixed them together, finally ready to eat.

Alongside her artistic skills, Ashley began to realise her skill in culinary arts, finding herself becoming better at cooking meals than she ever was before. She ate mouthful after mouthful until she was beginning to feel stuffed, having made more pasta than she was able to eat in one sitting. She decided to clingwrap the leftovers and placed them in the fridge, before turning to read the time on the clock.

7:36 pm.

There was so much left to do today, but Ashley had lost the will to strive through the day and decided to give up. She made her way to the bedroom and dressed herself in a beige night dress, before stepping into bed and covering herself over with the sheets. She shut her eyes as she became incredibly disappointed with herself. This was one of the few times she could have celebrated her accomplishments, and she wouldn't even let herself have that.

However, further into the night, she heard a slight buzzing emanate from her discarded jeans' pocket, slowly rousing her from her sleep. She sat up and yawned before shuffling over to the edge of her bed, quickly grabbing her pants and pulling her phone out of the pocket. Upon opening it, she answered it and held it to her ear to find out who the asshole was that called her so late at night. "Hello?" she asked, feigning curiosity.

"Hi, Ashley" came a familiar voice, surprising Ashley when she recognised its femininity. "Lea? Why are you…" she began before she was interrupted by a quick yawn, "…calling me so late?" "I'm outside right now, Ashley. Can I see you?" Lea asked, a hint of desperation beginning to emerge in her tone. Instantly, Ashley's energy had returned and she got out of bed, making her way to the front door and heading outside into the cold.

She began looking around the street in search of her friend, before her gaze finally settled on a figure along the sidewalk. Standing silhouetted beneath a streetlight outside her house was a feminine figure, Ashley already concluding this visitor's identity as she approached her. As she drew closer, Lea emerged from the darkness and wrapped Ashley in an affectionate hug.

"Ashley! I'm so proud of you! You did it!" she squealed with delight, though Ashley was baffled by what she meant. "What are you talking about, Lea" Ashley asked with confusion, Lea releasing her and explaining "I heard your artworks are being shown in the museum! That's so awesome!" In the time she had known lea, Ashley had always considered Lea to have a calm and collective attitude about her, only now witnessing a more ditzy and playful side to the seductive girl's personality.

"How did you learn about it? Did somebody tell you?" Ashley asked, becoming suspicious of Lea's spontaneous knowledge of her daily affairs. Lea smiled her hypnotising grin and she answered "I hear people talk about what you do. I just happen to hear". From this extremely vague answer, Ashley frowned and folded her arms to express her lack of trust.

Before she could continue her investigation into the matter, the mood turned somewhat sour. Lea frowned as she looked away to relieve a sigh of disappointment, "I wish _I_ could go and see them myself". Ashley was caught off guard by this as she asked with a raised eyebrow "Really? Why can't you?" Ashley noticed Lea visibly squirming from discomfort over the situation, the latter simply answering "I… I don't think I wanna talk about it".

All of her preconceptions around Lea's evasive attitude were instantly forgotten and replaced with genuine concern." "Is something wrong, girl?" Ashley questioned, her eyes filled with sympathy. Lea sighed as she responded "Well… I just haven't… had much money lately… So I don't think I can afford to spend it like that". Lea began to shrink away as she held her arms against her chest, her hands covering her mouth to hide her embarrassment.

Deciding to fill in for Lea's typical role, Ashley crept over to Lea and wrapped her arms around her, only now discovering the intense coldness of Lea's skin. "You always say I'm a great person, Lea" she began with a loving tone, "But you are _ten_ times the person _I_ am". Lea did not reply, simply allowing the warmth of Ashley's body to spread through her own, the two girls standing and embracing eachother in the middle of the sidewalk.

Ashley soon released her friend from the embrace and turned her around to face her, the pair staring drowsily into eachother's eyes. "I really like having you around, Lea" Ashley admitted, "I've been feeling really lonely lately". Lea gave a comforting smile as she replied "I'll be sure to visit more often, girl", both feeling relief for how this conclusion would likely solve both of their current situations.

Lea gave a quick peck on Ashley's cheek and began to take her leave, facing behind her and calling "See ya soon, girl!" as she waved her hand. Ashley waved back and turned to head through her door, before turning to watch Lea leave before she went back inside. However, she was surprised to find that between from the moment she had turned away from the street, Lea had completely disappeared from her view upon turning once again. She looked up and down the street with confusion, finding absolutely no trace of the girl in her sight.

The girl had practically vanished as far as Ashley was concerned, although she was quick to blame her lack of sleep for this anomaly. As she searched, her attention was suddenly drawn to a flickering light emerging over the horizon, the sun having already begun rising. Ashley was surprised to realise how late into the night she had woken up than what she had anticipated. She shrugged indifferently at this discovery and staggered back into her home, shutting the door behind her.


	10. Day 10 - Autumn Forest

Ashley was glad to learn that she hadn't woken up as early in the morning as she had assumed, believing it to have only been a few hours since she had gone to sleep. Her talk with Lea lasted only a few minutes until the first sunlight emerged, the time she had awoken only being as early as five o'clock in the morning. She entered the kitchen and looked towards the kitchen clock for confirmation on the current time, the hands reading a quarter-past six.

Just then, as she stood in the kitchen, her attention was suddenly diverted to a peculiar and rather foul stench contaminating the air around her. Instinctually, she turned to her fridge and opened it to look inside, instantly finding herself gagging on the heinous odours wafting in her direction. She held her nose as she examined the state of her fridge, finding that several containers of leftovers had finally expired overtime. Holding her breath, she pulled two containers out and hurried out the front door, not caring for the containers themselves as she dumped them into the bin before gasping for air.

She went back inside and was greeted to fresh air, as well as a wide open fridge that she rushed to close. Deciding to take responsibility for the state of her house, she headed over to the sink and eyed the stacks of plates and cups awaiting purification. She ran warm water within the sink and began scrubbing each piece of crockery until she was satisfied, before stacking them together in categorised groups.

Pleased with the state of her newly cleansed kitchen, she took a freshly cleaned glass and ran some cold water from the tap into it. She chugged down the water without needing to take any breaks, before relieving a petite belch. She hated it when this happened, as she felt it was extremely disgusting and impolite, particularly in public areas. Her perfectionism was more often a curse than a blessing in her daily routine, and she was painfully aware of it in moments like this.

After having settled into the morning routine, she began selecting what to do next from her many options. She paused and slowly turned to look at her easel, smiling at its mere presence. She made her way over to it and began planning her next artwork. She soon found herself envisioning a woodland during the fall, the angle held under the shade of an overhead tree. She poured the necessary paint colours onto her pallet and began outlining the environment with her brush.

The grass was made to appear dried but remaining fertile, emphasised by her choice of gold and yellow paints combined to give the effect. A similar colour was used for the leaves, while the trucks and the soil were given a crusty brown appearance. She darkened sections to represent the shade cast by the trees, along with several faint streams of light descending through the remaining gaps.

Despite her initial thoughts, she found that she had spent two whole hours painting this without a break, as evident by the kitchen clock. She stood back to view the entirety of the artwork and was delighted with the final product, feeling like she could step inside the canvas and inhabit the world it depicted. She knew that this artwork would be among those shown at the museum if she handed it over to them.

She paused at this thought and further considered it.

She looked around her home and found only the bare essentials of a home, lacking substance or variety. She eventually settled on keeping the painting for herself and took it from the rack, searching the living room for the best place to hang it. Eventually, she noticed the barren space beside the television and decided to hang it there, giving her place for daily entertainment much more of a lively appearance. Ironically, she predicted that she would enjoy viewing her painting instead of the television itself.

Checking the time again, Ashley decided she would begin preparing for work, heading into the bedroom to get changed. Once finished, she was about to head out through the front door when she was stopped in her tracks by a welling pain in her stomach. "Oh god! Not now, you stupid fucking thing!" she snarled in response to her sudden desire for nutrition, half-ready to punch herself in the gut out of frustration.

Unfortunately, she had no choice but to skip breakfast and leave hungry, heading out to the street and trying to flag down a taxi. By the time she had finally arrived at work and set to her schedule, her hunger had subsided and was replaced by a sudden fatigue. She became tired and unenergetic during her hours, knowing the cause to be her lack of proper rest during the past few days.

Unlike at home, where the hours seemed to have passed like seconds, second began to feel like hours as Ashley spent each her day. The boss had asked her if she had made any artworks since her promotion, though Ashley decided not mention her canvas of the autumn forest. Eventually, she had managed to reach the end of her hours and headed home, and extra fifteen percent of her original pay now settling in her pocket.

The moment she got out of the taxi and stepped through her front door, she bolted for the fridge and searched the many shelves for something to eat. She spotted a packet of shredded cheese and took it out, her stomach churning at the mere thought of eating. She poured the cheese into a pan and placed it onto the stove before turning the dial, allowing the cheese to melt and merge into a single layered material.

The moment she deemed it finished, she pulled the pan off the stove and poured the cheese onto a plate, caring not for the intense temperature the cheese was still currently in. She was forced to wait for the cheese to cool before she could finally eat, her stomach ache only growing with every passing second. The very second it reached a comfortable temperature, Ashley forced herself to eat the meal without stuffing her face like she wanted to, her perfectionism having returned to torment the poor girl.

While she was salvaged from the pain of starvation, Ashley soon found herself a victim to nausea instead. She had been so hungry, she never took the time to check how fresh the cheese was before she cooked it. Considering the consequences she now suffered, she made a mental note to herself to shop for more groceries in the near future. She stood up from her stool and held her stomach queasily, the pain coupled with her fatigue proving to be a vengeful combination.

She looked outside to find the glimmering sunlight and looked over to the clock, the clock reading five twenty-six. Dismayed but considerate, she decided to make up for the lost hours of sleep by crashing early. She went into the bathroom and set about preparing for bed, beginning with using the toilet followed by having a shower. With both tasks finished, she exited the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her body.

She stumbled her way into the bedroom and steadily discarded her robe. It took her over two minutes to finally redress herself in her night dress, and she carefully slid under the covers and tried her best to ignore her aching stomach. She turned away from the daylight shining through her window to the best of her abilities and began to drift to sleep. By tomorrow, she hoped that she would be much more organised.


	11. Day 11 - Painting a Friend

The sunlight once again crept through Ashley's window and shone across the surface of her bed, slowly creeping upward until settling upon Ashley's face. Squinting in annoyance, Ashley turned her head away from the direction of the light and faced the opposite direction. Sadly, the light itself was not the only annoyance the morning would bring, and Ashley began to feel the sun's heat burn against the back of her head. Finally surrendering, Ashley sat up and stepped out of bed, rubbing the back of her head with her hand to relieve the uncomfortable warmth.

She passed through her open bedroom door and carefully stepped through the living room into the kitchen, actively trying her best to avoid the beams of light shining through her living room windows. She opened her fridge and pulled out her carton of eggs along with the leftover packet of bacon, settling on having a simple breakfast. She was cautious with the eggs and cracked a pair open into a pair of cups from her cabinet, inspecting them to make sure they hadn't gone rotten.

Satisfied with their condition, she poured both cups into a pan and dropped a few strips of bacon in to accompany them, before placing the pan on the stove and heating it. She was pleased how since coming here, here prowess in culinary arts had evidently improved over time and she hadn't a need to fear poisoning herself with her own cooking. Once the eggs were scrambled and the bacon became crispy, she scooped them out and laid them onto a large plate.

She took her breakfast and, instead of the barstool like she had often done before, she wanted to sit on the couch and eat while she watched TV. She stepped into the path of the light and was relieved to find the heat from the rays had relented, allowing her access to almost thirty percent of her house. She was prepared to seat herself, but found herself pausing before she could do so, an uncleanliness washing over her from her intended action. Reluctantly, she found herself seated at the bench and eating quietly to herself, secretly cursing herself and her own sense of propriety. To make up for it, she chowed through the breakfast extremely quickly, before taking the empty plate and placing it in the sink.

With her day finally going the way she had planned it for a rare change, she returned to the couch and began watching the television as she had intended. She cared not for the channel or the stations she would watch, simply intending to pass the time before she would need to head off for work. Occasionally, she would glance away from the TV and focus instead on the painting she had done the day prior, a smile stretching across her face as she examined her handiwork.

Simply looking upon the painting had given her the urge to begin creating a new one to accompany it. Ashley jumped to her feet and rushed over to her easel, setting up a large canvas and preparing her paints and crafts. She thought back to the baroque artworks on the second floor of the museum, as well as some that her co-workers had painted during her hours. In conclusion, she decided to try and make one for herself, wondering "How hard can it be?"

She set to work, beginning with the outlines on the facial features of a woman, her body turned sideways and her head facing towards the perspective of the portrait. She had to be extra cautious when applying the outlines to the woman, hoping to offer as much of a realistic depiction as she can by the time she was finished.

However, as she had begun to pour the colour and planned to add the skin tone, she turned away to look over at the clock, reading eight-past eight from the hands. Disappointed and feeling unaccomplished, she was forced to abandon her painting and dress for work in her bedroom. She put on her typical casual t-shirt and a pair of denim jeans with black high heel boots. She stepped outside and flagged down a taxi before she made her way to the museum.

While at work, she was given the rare chance to get chatty with her co-workers, since they were usually busy concentrating on their work. Her boss had asked her about any paintings she had done away from work, much like yesterday. Ashley explained she was currently creating a baroque artwork and was still considering whether to keep it or to sell it to the museum. The boss encouraged the latter before letting her continue her work.

After starting on her latest artwork during the later hours, she decided to take it home and finish it there at a later date. She took another taxi home and headed inside, eager to finish what she had begun. She took up her pallet and paintbrush once more and set to work, finally feeling content as she began laying strokes of creamy beige to represent the skin. Flowing beside each side of the woman's face were weaves of raven hair, descending over her shoulders and ending just above her breasts. She applied tropical details to her face including red lipstick and long, thin eyelashes, followed by rosiness in the woman's cheeks.

With the face practically completed, she began with the woman's body and, more specifically, her attire. She created a flowing dress made from faint blue leather and sporting straps that ascended to her shoulders, the central region divided into a V-shape. Between the straps was a violet top that covered the woman's breasts, the neck and collarbone remaining exposed be several inches. She painted the woman a hand that rose upwards, her fingertips reaching for the strands of her hair.

For the background, she decided to create an ancient, almost religious, design. She painted a circular plate that was perfectly centred by the woman's head, a bright yellow light reflecting off the woman's hair and across the outer edges of the plate. She added a pattern of smaller circles with cryptic patterns inside, intentionally painting them crudely to enhance the age they would represent. Finally, after what would definitely have been hours, she was finished.

Ashley stepped back to admire her work, and was surprised by the sight she saw. The woman was right there, sitting before her on the other side of the frame, staring at her lovingly. Ashley never intended to give this woman such a sympathetic expression, as if this woman was judging her personally as the artist that created her. Ashley began to feel uncomfortable with the sight of this painting, but then suddenly came to a startling realisation.

This woman beared a strong resemblance to Lea.

On impulse, Ashley had to turn her head away from the mere thought. Her cheeks flushed red as her muscles became brittle. She staggered away helplessly from the artwork in the hopes of escaping her responsibility, but soon believed such to be a great insult to Lea herself. Lea had been the one to help her in her darkest moments since she came here, and had been a large part of her life here in Oasis Springs. To deny her this tribute would be criminal.

Ashley turned around and took the painting from the easel, carrying it carefully into the bedroom and hanging it up on the wall, opposite to the head of the bed. She took care when hanging it, not wishing to smudge the drying paint nor leave marks upon the wall. She stood back and smiled at the position the painting sat, allowing her to view it every time she would awaken or sleep.

Ashley left her bedroom and went into the kitchen with her mind on what to have for dinner, quickly glancing at the clock as it read six thirty-seven. Having expended all of her collected energy into making that artwork, Ashley would settle for just a quick meal to sate her approaching hunger. She pulled open the fridge door and retrieved several pieces of bread and a jar or lemon curd, taking them over to the bench and creating a pair of sandwiches. She ate at the bench as she always did before she eventually took the empty plate to the sink, leaving it to be washed at a later date.

She was soon pacing around her living room, pondering what to do next, her interests pointing primarily towards the canvas once again. She shook her head and thought "Oh come on, Ash! You just spent a whole afternoon working on one!" She then stopped and said "Well, I'll just make a smaller one, then!" Satisfied with this conclusion, she made her way to the easel and planted a fresh medium-sized canvas at the ready.

As the black of the night sky began to shroud her house in darkness, Ashley found her canvas completely unilluminated as it would be in the day. She turned to her light stand, the only source of illumination in the entire living room, and dragged over to her side as she finally set to her task. She decided to, as opposed to her more realistic artworks she'd done in the past, paint a more abstract portrait. She selected the most minimum number of paint colours, consisting solely of black and red, and began marking the outlines.

However, just as she was getting into the groove of it, she was diverted by her ringtone buzzing from her left pocket. She reached into her pocket and pulled her phone out, flipping it open and answering the call. "Hello?" she spoke as she held the phone to her ear, awaiting to learn who had called her so late at night.

"Hey there, Ashley" called the familiar feminine voice, "I came over to hang out if that's okay. May I come in?" As she spun around slowly, Ashley looked out the window to find the silhouette of a woman standing outside on the sidewalk, staring directly at her. Lea then explained "I'm sorry if I'm _disturbing_ you or something. I can come back some other time if you want". Ashley quickly objected, "No-no-no! You _can_ come in! I just… wasn't expecting you. That's all".

Ashley hung up and headed over to the door, opening it to see Lea approaching. She was wearing the exact same outfit she wore yesterday, hardly the attire to wear in the cold at night. Lea waved and said "I just thought I'd hang out for a bit" before pausing to examine Ashley's body. Ashley noticed this and blushed, not yet used to this kind of attention Lea seemed to give her. Lea simply laughed at the girl's embarrassment and held her hand against her hip.

"You're looking really good lately, Ashley? Do you exercise?" Lea asked smoothly, her voice helping to soothe the atmosphere surrounding the two. "Oh… erm… no, I don't… I just…" Ashley's blushed began to deepen until Lea simply chuckled and embraced her in a hug. "Sorry. It's just that you look really fit to me" Lea stated as she ran her fingers up and down Ashley's arm.

Ashley shrugged nervously and replied "Well, while painting I do have to hold my arms steady for several hours". Snickering, Ashley held up her arm for Lea to see and flexed her bicep, Lea giggling delightfully from the gesture alone. Ashley had begun to feel comfortable with doing silly things in front of Lea, considering her to be beyond petty criticisms as others mightn't.

Ashley stepped aside and let Lea inside, the latter asking "So, what have you been up to lately, girl?" Ashley had finally recovered from the initial surprise and was beginning to re-establish her positive attitude, answering calmly "Oh… not much. I've made a couple more paintings; I've hung them around my house". Lea immediately began looking around and noticed the abundance of hanging canvases on the living room walls, her eyes lighting up with astonishment.

"They're all so beautiful…" she muttered, her voice softening as she gazed around the house. Ashley, on the other hand, was currently of two minds whether to show what she believes is her best painting of all. She was afraid that Lea might realise the implications and it may alienate her, followed likely by the resulting downfall in their friendship. Before she could move on to a new subject, Lea admitted "Actually, I just realised. I haven't _seen_ your whole house".

Ashley had truly found herself in a dilemma from these words, but then paused to think "Damnit Ashley, you're just paranoid. It'll be fine". Reassured by her deduction, she told Lea "You've actually seen most of the house. It's just the bedroom left". Lea nodded and asked "Do you have any paintings in there?", Ashley instantly reverting back to her prior panicked state. Ashley turned and opened her bedroom door before entering, beckoning Lea to follow her inside.

Lea spotted the bed and discovered it to be queen sized, wondering if Ashley had ever slept with someone else before. She looked around before she stopped at the sight of corner wall, her eyes glistening as she wandered towards it for a better look. Lea seemed entranced by the picture that hung there, her eyes visibly beginning to water the more she looked at it. Ashley stood beside her and explained "Yeah… I made this… just today. I kinda used… _you_ as the inspiration for it, so I understand if you-".

Beyond her expectations, Ashley wound herself stumbling backwards as a pair or arms suddenly tackled her and enwrapped themselves around her body. "Thank you so much, Ashley! It's so beautiful!" Lea squealed with excitement, hopping in place all the while. Ashley both giggled and was relieved at her friend's reaction and soon hugged back. "I'm glad you like it. I was planning to send it to the museum so you-".

The room became silent as Ashley paused her sentence, Lea turning to face her with a dismayed glance. Understanding her disappointment and feeling sympathy as a result, Ashley announced "You know what? I think it looks _even better_ right where it is" with a triumphant grin. Lea smiled with her and huffed "Thank you… you really are my best friend, Ashley".

Just then, Ashley yawned sleepily as her eyes drooped, clearly struggling to maintain consciousness. "Sorry, Lea. I think I might have to go to bed now" Ashley admitted before seating herself on the bed and laying back comfortably. Lea chuckled and replied "That's fine, I should be heading off now, anyways" before making her way through the bedroom door and closing it, whispering a final "Goodnight". Ashley slid under her covers and grinned as she slowly drifted to sleep.

The moment Lea closed the door, she carefully crept over to the kitchen and flipped open Ashley's cell phone, dialling Bob Pancakes' number and awaiting an answer. "Hello?" a familiar deep voice answered, Lea smiling as she replied "It's me, Bob; Ashley. I'm planning on having a neighbourhood party at my house". "Oh, _that's_ sounds fun. You'll get to meet the others" Bob answered, "I told you before that they're _all_ nice people".

"Thanks Bob" Lea continued, "Only problem is that I don't know anyone's phone numbers". "Don't worry, I'll let everyone know" Bob offered, "I'll see you there, girl". "Oh… and one more thing… you know that one bitchy ginger girl?" she asked curiously, "Oh. You mean Tamika? Don't worry, I wasn't going to, anyway". "Thanks again, Bob" she concluded before hanging up the phone and placing it on the table, soon turning to view the clock as it read seven-past eight.

"Still plenty of time for some shopping".


	12. Day 12 - Block Party

After all the energy she had expended the previous day, Ashley had welcomed a prolonged rest and a chance to relieve the welling strain in her body and mind alike. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself back in her bedroom, having finally awoken with a sense of refreshment. She sat up and stretched her arms to reconnect her joints, her hair having become unorganised in the night and currently blocking much of her eyesight.

Ashley got out of bed and opened her bedroom door to leave, remembering how Lea was kind enough to close it for her before she left. She detoured into the bathroom and went about her business, beginning with using the toilet and washing her hands at the sink afterwards. She then wandered to the kitchen and prepared to eat another combination of leftovers for her breakfast, opening the fridge to soon behold a shocking sight.

Only a day before, every shelf in her fridge had been almost entirely devoid of contents, Ashley having been meaning to shop for more food. But without any explanation, her fridge had suddenly been packed to the brim with all kinds of food, all of which, from what she could see, she would've likely bought herself had she the necessity. She had no clue where this food could've come from, but had a suspicion on who had given it to her, smiling to herself as she muttered "Thanks, Lea".

Searching through the newly packed refrigerator and its collection of selectable options, Ashley pulled out a packet of sliced bread and a wrapped paper bag of saveloys, taking the pair and opening them on the bench. She took a butcher knife from the kitchen cabinet and began dicing the saveloys into small segments, before sprinkling the diced pieces into the folds of bread. She took the newly prepared raw jaffles and opened the cabinet, finding the jaffle maker and pulling it out to use.

She sat back for the following few minutes as the jaffle maker did all the work for her, pleased by her minimal involvement in creating a complex breakfast for the first time in her time at Oasis Springs. Eventually, the jaffles were cooked to satisfaction and Ashley placed them on a dinner plate, taking them to the bench and seating herself on the barstool to eat. As she ate, she began thinking about Lea once more and her generosity for buying this food for her, but also wishing Lea could've given her a heads up.

By the time she was finished with the jaffles, she got up and placed the plate in the sink before returning to the bathroom, intending to cleanse herself of the excess crumbs and the building layer of grime on her skin. She stepped into the shower and turned both faucets, sighing blissfully as a comfortable blend of both hot and cold water began raining upon her skin. She would have likely collapsed from the blissful fatigue this sensation provided, but she nevertheless set about purifying her pale skin of any imperfections.

Once finished, she stepped out and dried herself, before quickly ducking out of the bathroom and into the bedroom to get changed. She threw on a sleeved shirt and a silky pair of shorts, exposing her legs. She stepped out and returned to the living room, approaching the wall mounted shelf and pulling a random book from her collection to read. She pulled it open to find one of her favourite stories, having read every book that sat on the shelf in the past, and seated herself on the couch to continue.

As she was reading, she was suddenly distracted by a knock at the door. Although she couldn't predict who here visitor was, she was hoping it would be Lea so she could negotiate about the suddenly abundance of supplies in the kitchen. She pulled open the door and was delighted to find her suspicions confirmed, as Lea stood before here in exactly the same outfit. Ashley began to wonder is she washes the same outfit every time or if she has other outfits identical to this one.

"Hey, girl" Lea greeted with a wave, "I have great news for you". Ashley hadn't wanted to be rude, but she felt the need to interrupt her and state "I noticed a whole ton of food appeared out of nowhere in my fridge". Lea was taken aback and rubbed her arms sheepishly, "Yeah… I did that. I saw you were running low so I got some stuff for you". Ashley couldn't help but smile at Lea's innocence in this moment and asked "Would you like to come in?"

Lea followed Ashley inside and both stood in the living room, Lea asking "So what do you have planned for today?" Ashley shrugged and responded "Not very much. Today's my day off. Why do you ask?" Lea began "Well, I thought about how you've been feeling…" before pausing for a moment, "So I'd throw a party for the neighbours here". Within an instant, Ashley's lazy grin dropped into a disturbed frown.

"What?!" she shrieked in terror, sending Lea stepping back in fright. "Why did you do that?!" Ashley asked, "You should've told me! I could've prepared!" Lea remained calm and held her hand out to steady Ashley's panic, "It's okay Ashley. You don't have to do anything. Just let me handle the guest and you can just hang out in the meantime". Lea's calm voice lead Ashley to believe that she had planned ahead, and Ashley decided just to follow Lea's lead and hope she can keep everything under control.

Ashley moved to the kitchen and spotted her phone on the bench, sitting beside her purse. The moment Lea noticed this, her eyes widened and she watched helplessly as Ashley pulled per purse open and began counting her money. "Lea…" Ashley huffed breathlessly, "You used _my_ _money_ to buy the food". "Yeah I know… I'm still short on money but… I wanted to save you the trouble of buying-". Ashley dropped her purse back onto the table and snapped "Lea! What gives _you_ the right to spend _my_ -".

Before she could even finish her lecture, several sharp knocks echoed through the living room, both girls turning to face the front door. Ashley immediately began shrinking into herself while Lea hurried over to answer the door, finding her first guest having arrived. An Asian woman in her young adulthood, dressed in a green woollen sweater and black dress pants with woven black high heels.

Ashley got up and joined Lea in welcoming their guest, turning to look through the gap in the door and finding a pleasant surprise. The girl in particular was one that she had met before at the museum; a relatively shy girl, but pleasant all the same. "I uhh… heard something about a party" she explained nervously, Lea simply giggling and answering "This is the place! Feel free to make yourself at home while the other's come". "Thank you for coming" Ashley added as the girl walked passed her, though the girl didn't seem to acknowledge it at the time.

The girl sat down on the couch as Lea asked "Anything I can get you while you wait?" "Oh, no. I just ate before coming here" the girl replied, Lea nodding in understanding as she turned and approached Ashley. "Everything will be fine, girl" she reassured in an attempt to comfort the clearly nervous Ashley. Ashley, for her part, nodded and stayed quiet, before both turned to face the sudden sound of another knock on the door.

Lea rushed over and pulled the door open, Ashley was once again met with an unknown face. Before her stood an athletically toned man, almost levelling alongside Jameson Huntington. His brown hair was tied into a bun on the back of his head. He was dressed in a black tank top, further displaying his physique, and a pair of blue denim shorts with white running shoes. As the door opened, the man straitened his posture after huffing breathlessly, his exhausted expression shifting into a polite smile.

"Hey there, Parker!" Lea greeted as he cleared the way for her guest, "Just a few more people to go". Ashley was not surprised that Lea seemed to know him, considering he was likely one of the people that Lea gets her news from about her. "Thanks. The sun was killing me" Parker explained before exhaling heavily one final time. Lea chuckled and said "Yeah, it has been a lot hotter than usual, hasn't it?"

As parker entered through the door and turned towards the living room, Lea took followed him before entering the kitchen and looking down towards the storage cabinets. She opened the one nearest to the refrigerator and displayed its contents to an onlooking Ashley, who was struck by the sight.

Lea pulled out a packet of chips from among the assortment of party snacks, ranging from lolly bags to soft drinks. All of Ashley's contained frustration had begun to return with a vengeance, leaving her fit to strangle Lea then and there. Lea turned back and noticed Ashley's scowl, but simply smiled with reassurance as she peeled the packet open. "Please help yourselves" Lea offered as she poured the chips into a bowl and set them on the kitchen bench, both seated guests quickly taking handfuls for themselves.

As Michelle and Parker ate, they began looking around the living room at most of the furniture, surprised by their cheap quality. "You outta buy some new stuff for yourself, Ashley" Parker advised, "Your art job should get you the moolah in no time". Ashley squirmed uncomfortably at the slang term before answering "Well, uh… it's a work of progress". Michelle continued to look around before her eyes locked onto a specific decoration, in the form of an acoustic guitar in the left corner.

"A guitar?! I didn't know you played music" Michelle squealed with excitement as she stood up and rushed over to the instrument. Ashley looked on and explained "Please be careful with that… it's a family heirloom" as Michelle reached down to grab it. Acknowledging the warning, Michelle carefully took the base under her arm and pulled the pick from the pouch, strumming it down the strings to test the sound. Soon, she began playing a tune that Ashley instantly recognised, having heard it from the television's music channel.

 _I close my eyes…_

 _Only for a moment and the moment's gone._

 _All my dreams…_

 _Pass before my eyes, a curiosity._

 _Dust in the wind…_

 _All we are is dust in the wind._

Ashley and Lea didn't dare interrupt her, both adoring her singing voice as she expertly replicated the song. AS he listened, Parker's attention switched to the sight of a canvas set on an easel, "What are you going to do for your next piece, Ash?" Ashley smiled modestly as she replied "Oh, erm… I dunno". Ashley took the snack bowl and brought into the living room, sitting beside Parker and offering a share. The pair continued to chat as Michelle strummed on the guitar and sang the final verse of the song.

However, just as she reached the finale, Michelle stopped in her tracks as the sound of her ringtone blared from her pocket. She carefully set the guitar back on its rack and took her phone out to answer it. A series of yeses and okays were said before she finally hung up and apologized, "My boyfriend needs help with something. I have to go". "That's fine" Lea reassured as the girl nodded and ran out the door, her footsteps echoing from the sidewalk as she rushed home.

With one less guest to make the day a little more interesting, Ashley decided to learn a bit about the one guest they had left. "So what do _you_ do, Parker?" Ashley asked in a poor attempt to lead into a conversation. Nevertheless, it seemed to work as Parker turned to face her and replied "I am a member of the local rugby team". "Oh cool… I haven't heard about any football teams in Oasis Springs" Ashley admitted, leading Parker to add "Well, I don't exactly play a vital role…".

As they spoke, Ashley began to lose focus on the conversation and her attention focused on Parker himself. She found herself lost in his emerald eyes as he stared into her own, his pearly white teeth gleaming through his open mouth as he spoke. She smiled as her eyes drooped lazily, feeling herself enter a hypnotic state as he spoke. However, his expression shifted and brought her back to reality, Parker asking "You alright, googly eye?"

Ashley gasped "Oh, I'm sorry. I was just… um…" before her gaze descended towards Parker's biceps. Parker turned to see where she was staring and grinned mischievously, his arm flexing as his muscle inflated before her very eyes. Ashley was stunned, her mouth curling into her smile as she muttered "You… you really… really look like… you play footie". Parker chuckled as he responded "That's nothing… you should see what I can do with my-". It didn't matter what he said next to Ashley; she could clearly tell he was flirting with her by this point. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Lea watching them, before she looked directly at her and winked.

Several minutes passed as they chatted, exchanging personal stories and get to understand eachother's personalities. Ashley began to notice a pattern of sports subjects followed by an interest in music from Parker, as well as an incredibly smarmy and playful attitude. Parker understood perfectly that Ashley had little interest in sports and tried to keep any references to a minimum unless Ashley asked about it.

Eventually, it came to the point where Ashley and Parker both began to wonder about the coming guests. Ashley sat up and looked over to the clock, finding that an hour passed since Michelle came. Disappointed and dismayed, Ashley stated "Parker… I don't think anyone else is coming". Parker checked his wristwatch and sighed, "Sorry the party didn't work out, Ash" before he got up and stretched his muscles. "I reckon I should head off now" he admitted, "Just give me a call if you wanna meet again". With a final friendly salute, he headed for the front door and returned to the sidewalk, disappearing from Ashley's view.

Lea took a glass from the cabinet and opened a bottle of cola, pouring it in and laying it on the table. "I'm so sorry, Ashley. I was so sure more people were gonna come" Lea admitted, but became curious when she didn't receive a response. She looked over to Ashley and found her curled up in the foetal position, her eyes barely restraining a wave of tears. Shocked, Lea ran over to her side and yelled "Ashley?! What's wrong?!"

Ashley huffed distraughtly as a sad smile grew across her face, "Lea… you did all of this… for me". Lea nodded as she explained "Well, you seemed so lonely for a while, so I thought I would do this for you". Ashley finally lost her struggle as a pair of descending tears ran down her cheeks, "You went through all that work for _me_ … _I_ didn't do _shit_ ". Lea couldn't help but sit beside her with an arm wrapped around her, Ashley lowered her head as she concluded " _You're_ living _my_ life more than _I_ am, Lea… I feel so useless".

Lea could understand her struggle and began to feel the weight of responsibility for it, watching as Ashley's sense of independence that she was striving for had begun to crumble. Ashley leaned forward with her head hidden beneath her hair, resembling an evil ghost girl from some Japanese horror movie. Lea was at a dilemma between simply leaving or staying to co fort the poor girl in her vulnerable moment, either of which could have catastrophic results. After a long silence, Lea had made up her mind.

"Ashley, could you turn around?" she asked intently. Ashley couldn't fathom what she was planning, but was certain that she was at least trying to help and obliged. She turned to face away from Lea and left her back exposed, but was caught off guard when she felt her t-shirt being lifted from the waist. "What the hell are you doing?" Ashley asked as her arms slipped through the slots and the shirt was discarded into the floor, her upper body contained only beneath her bra. "Relieving your tension" Lea answered as she pressed her thumbs into Ashley's shoulder blades.

Almost instantly, Ashley was drowning in waves of pleasure as Lea began massaging her with her heavenly grasp. Her thumbs shifted lightly across the skin and forcibly pressed into Ashley's aching muscles. Lea felt Ashley leaning backwards and smiled, knowing her therapy was working. Ashley whined quietly when she felt Lea's hands retract from her skin, wishing the massage would've continued for longer.

Lea then stood up and looked down at the much more pleased Ashley, stating "I know… I've been making you angry all day… but trust me… I want to make your life as wonderful as possible". Before she could question what she said, Lea had wandered to the door and pulled it open, before turning back to face her confused and anguished friend. "I'll see you soon, Ashley" she finished with a smile as she disappeared around the corner and shut the door behind her, leaving Ashley once again alone in the room.

Ashley's mind was racing with a million thought, each replaced as quickly as they emerge. Why does Lea seem so obsessed with her being happy? Why would she set up a party for her? Why would she buy the stuff with her money?! Why did nobody turn up? What about Parker? Did she like parker? Was she attracted to him? Or maybe Lea? Was _Lea_ in love with her?

These thought were cut short by the sudden loud crash she heard from the living room window. She jumped out of her seat and ran over to see what caused it, only to be met with a sight that completely ruined whatever good morals she had retained. None other than the redheaded bully had returned and collapsed her front yard's bin, evident by the visible boot print on the metal surface. Unlike what Ashley expected, the girl stormed to the door and pulled it open, bringing Ashley to the front door to intercept her.

"I already warned you! Get out or I'm calling the police!" Ashley threatened, her anger welling to give her an intimidating atmosphere. The girl was less than convinced when she sneered "You shoo a guest out of your house… and then you don't even invite her to your party? How much of a bitch can you be?!" Both girls visibly tensed as they became ready to be the first; the first to start the chaos and bring the other to their knees.

"Knowing you, you would've probably would've been the reason everyone left. I don't ave to take shit from you" Ashley lectured. Suddenly, the redhead lunged forward and pushed Ashley back with the balls of her hands, sending her slightly stumbling back into the kitchen. "Who the fuck are you, bitch! You're getting all this attention from these retarded people! Do they even know a bitch when they see them?!" The redheaded girl snarled ravenously, but was dumbfounded when Ashley chuckled and answered "Dunno. Maybe I should introduce you".

With exactly the reaction she was expecting, the girl screeched with frustration as she lunged a second time at Ashley, only to be sent tumbling back with a well-placed kick in her stomach. "BITCH! CUNT! HAG! SLUT! WHORE!" a slew of irrational and psychotic criticisms spilled forth from the girl's mouth as she mindlessly began charging for Ashley. Ashley quickly gained a good grip on both of the girl's wrist and held her at bay, rendering the girl's noticeably lengthy fingernails useless.

The two girl's struggled before the redhead rammed Ashley into the kitchen bench, causing it to shake and toppling the resting glasses onto the floor. In retaliation, Ashley clenched her free fist and placed a sharp hook into the girl's throat, distracting her with her sudden uneven breathing. Finally, Ashley kicked her a second time and sent the redhead staggering back towards the front door. The moment the redhead began charging towards her again, Ashley could see a feral, almost insane expression on her face as she scream "I'll fuck you up, skank! I'll fucking brea-".

Suddenly, within less that a second, the girl had disappeared from Ashley's field of view, a loud and sickening smack catching her attention. Ashley stepped back as she saw the girl sprawled along the ground, laying still without any sign of movement, though still clearly breathing. Ashley looked past her and spotted a small puddle of soda sitting beside a broken glass. Ashley then suddenly remember, Lea never drank her soda before she left, and she just left it on the table.

Her deduction was interrupted when the girl began to struggle into a sitting position, Ashley looking down to find a red substance smudged into the carpet. Lookup up, Ashley could see a stream of blood flowing from the girl's mouth and her lips parted from her teeth, several gaps having appeared since the fight. Tears emerged in the girl's eyes as blood continued to flow from her mouth, the girl herself staring down the teeth scattered in the bloodstain beneath her.

Beyond her reluctance to do so, Ashley found herself storming into the kitchen and retrieving her box of tissues, before returning to stand above her rival. Tossing the cardboard box into the girl's lap, Ashley folded her arms as the girl quickly began pulling out tissues, scrunching them up and shoving them into the gaps between her teeth. The girl looked so broken at this moment, a stark contrast from her attitude before her collapse. Ashley couldn't help but sympathise with this girl for a brief moment, suspecting that she was not mentally well in order to do all the things she did.

"Why…" the girl whimpered as she looked up into Ashley's sympathetic eyes, "Why are you so mean to me?" Her suspicion confirmed from this one question, Ashley answered "Look… what's your name?" The girl was visibly shaking as she held her arm with her free hand, "T… Tamika". Ashley groaned as her squeezed her temple with her hand, "Tamika… Get out of my house and find some help… before you get herself hurt even more". "I hate you… you are so awful to me…" Tamika growled through her broken teeth, "Why does everyone like you?!"

"Because I don't do bitchy things like break into homes, get into fight and call people sluts!" Ashley snapped, her outrage making itself loud and clear. Tamika didn't seem to notice her criticisms, or simply ignored them, and turned her head away from Ashley. "One last chance, Tamika. Get out you I'll call the police and have you arrested" Ashley warned, though in a much more passive tome.

Almost obediently, Tamika stood up and staggered her way to the front door, but was suddenly halted when Ashley grabbed her shoulder. "Tamika… have you ever done anything nice for someone? Or do you just do this to everybody". "Go fuck yourself" Tamika growled, her hand covering her moth and muffling her words, before she finally stormed through the front door and headed back out onto the street. The moment she was outside, Ashley slammed the door and trudged away into the kitchen, reaching for the detergent and paper towels to clean up the mess they had made.

Meanwhile, Tamika's rage had begun to subside as she approached the sidewalk, allowing her rational thoughts to emerge. She noticed the knocked over trash bin and stopped to stare at it, curiosity glowing in her eyes. She turned back to see nobody watching as she reached down to lift the bin up, placing it where it was before she had knocked it over before. She stood back and reflected on this, feeling a strange and foreign sensation in her chest as she did. She closed her eyes and allowed this feeling of satisfaction to sustain.

She looked back towards the house and thought about Ashley, how she had giving her those tissues to clean herself up. Even after their struggle and declaring their bitter hatred for eachother, this girl still helped her when she needed it. She genuinely could remember the last time she had done anything like that for someone, and yet she still expected everyone to respect her and enjoy her company. She hung her head as she continued to the sidewalk, finally making her way away from this home and refusing to return.

It was night time by the time Ashley had cleaned the kitchen and she hadn't even bothered to check the time, her constant yawning and aching muscles telling the time for her. Even in spite of how much she began to feel sorry for that girl and her permanent injury, she still refused to consider her anything beyond a vandal and a psychopath. She soon entered the bedroom and slid under the covers, already predicting an oncoming struggle for sleep.


	13. Day 13 - Llama's Manbun

Ashley refused to open her eyes as she stirred awake, predicting she would be met with a blinding light if she did. She pulled her legs from out the side of her sheets and weight of her lower body pulled her from the bed entirely, her legs quickly straightening to support her form. She stumbled wearily through her bedroom door and immediately turned towards the bathroom, following her typical routine of her mornings and refreshing herself with a quick cold shower.

She yawned drowsily as she left the bathroom and proceeded into the kitchen, looking up to the clock and reading the time to be five minutes past six. This at least explains the lack of light pouring through her open windows. She held each of her hips and pushed her stomach out, mending the dispositioned bones in her spine. She staggered to the front door and went outside, basking in what little of the light shone against her body.

She wanted to relish this day as much as she could, considering it was her final day away from work, much like the day before. The heat of the sun began to take effect as her skin radiated with warmth, her muscles and bones absorbing power from the sensation. She sighed as she looked out to the sidewalk, watching as small scores of pedestrians passed by. Elders, parents, teenagers, children and llamas alike were passing through her field of vie-

Ashley paused.

She shook her head and concentrated on a lone figure approaching from the leftward end of the sidewalk. As she had expected, though prayed in secret she was wrong, she had in fact spotted a large bipedal llama with green fur and sporting a narwhal-like horn on top of its head. It was dressed is a white t-shirt with black sleeves, hardly a recommended combination in this current climate, and a pair of blue board shorts.

Ashley went braindead at the mere sight of this anomaly, gazing constantly at the creature without moving a muscle, only barely remembering to blink every once in a while. She found herself slowly creeping along her path and towards the sidewalk, her eyes transfixed on the peculiar figure the entire journey there. She stopped and waited for it to come close enough, and the llama itself seemed to take notice of her and made its way to greet her.

"Hey there, Ashley!" a male voice reached Ashley's ears, though the llama's face hadn't changed. Ashley remained dumbstruck and the llama noticed this, laughing to himself and explaining "Oh! I guess it's pretty wild to see a giant llama outside your house, isn't it?" Ashley nodded but remained silent, secretly pondering the sun and the heat's involvement in this bizarre situation. The llama raised his arms and held them on each side of his head, before tugging at the base of the neck and pulling his whole head from his shoulders.

Ashley was delighted to find a familiar face and an unmistakable manbun beneath the mask, exclaiming "Parker!" with delight. Suddenly, the gravity of the situation sank in and Ashley became confused, "Why the hell are you wearing a magical llama carcass?" Parker burst into laughter and answer for a moment before gathering his breath and answered with an awkward grin "Um… well… Remember when I said I had a pretty crappy job in the football team?"

Ashley's eyes widen in realisation, the pieces suddenly fitting together whilst more unanswered questioned spawns. "You're the mascot?!" Ashley explained with shock, Parker rolling his eyes as the smile ran away from his face. Ashley continued with "Seriously?! But you're so athletic and buff! How are you not on the actual team?!" Parker shrugged and answered "Eh… Everyone on the team is more athletic than even _I_ am". Ashley was left to wonder just exactly how much better Parker's superiors must be for him to get such a crappy role.

This thought along drew a lengthy snicker from the woman, but Parker quickly clarified "Actually, I only recently joined the official team, and uh… I am a viable replacement for any injured players". Even with her limited knowledge of football, or most sports in general, Ashley could sense an element of bullshit in his words. On the other hand, Ashley couldn't exactly judge his position as a sportsman, since she had neither seen any full games of football or Parker himself in action.

Along the path and nearby the pair was a wooden bench, the two of them son noticing it and taking a seat side-by-side. Parker leant back and relieved a pained sigh, "Christ. This was a bad day to wear a suit". He dropped the mascot head beside him and reignited the conversation, "So, how are you're paintings going? Done any lately?" Ashley was silent for a period of time before she quickly answered "Oh um… no… I've been a bit… preoccupied".

In-between their seating and her answer, Ashley found herself once again lost in his eyes, smiling dumbly as her eyes drooped dreamily. Parker raised his eyebrow curiously and smiled, "You alright there, googly eyes?" he asked with a chuckle. Ashley refocused her attention and answered "Sorry… there was… something on your face", though she could see in his eyes that Parker was aware of her true reasoning. "It wasn't pure perfection, was it?" he boasted as he held his head high with a proud grin. Ashley burst out laughing for two reasons, both from her own embarrassment combined with how ridiculous his pose was when worn by that suit.

After regaining her breath, they both sat back and relaxed on the bench until Parker began a new conversation. "Y'know, Ashley. People have been wondering about you" Parker explained, Ashley listening attentively as he continued "Nobody has seen you anywhere in town and they say you stay in your house all the time". Ashley looked away and stared down at her feet, Parker concluding "I hope you're not feeling lonely from living by yourself".

If Ashley didn't know any better, she would believe that Parker was trying to fish for a certain reaction to this. Parker smiled with reassurance as he offered "I reckon you should get a roommate at some point… someone that you can hang out with". Ashley could clearly sense expectance in his recommendation and she had a major idea of what Parker was eluding to. Before he could continue, Parker locked down at his watched quickly jumped up.

"Oh shit! I gotta go! I have practice in a few minutes" he gasped, taking his mascot head and putting it on. Ashley stood up and replied "Oh… well, thanks for stopping by and hanging out with me, Parker". Parker waved and began walking along the sidewalk to his job, Ashley being reminded of the humorous image of the gesture from that stupid costume. As Parker disappeared from her view, Ashley returned to her home and entered through her front door to the living room.

The moment she set foot in to the uninhabited space, a sense of reclusion washed over her. She sighed as Parker's advice returned to haunt her, its validity becoming more prominent when she allowed the atmosphere of the situation to settle. She looked over the room and her eyes eventually settled on her easel, the addictive urge to illustrate beginning to course through her system once again. She stepped around her couch and stood before her easel, planning her next artwork and setting up her tools and crafts for its construction.

She decided to make her first artwork a more basic one, unlike her previous, more advanced ones, began applying the outlines. She envisioned a valentine's heart made of pure diamond, each segment sporting a different variation of white with varying shades. She poured white onto her palette and began applying the left half of the segments, lightly mixing the white with small hints of other colours to express the borders of each segment. Time passed by as she obliviously pursued the completion of this work, concluding the artwork with a complete right half and a generic brown backgrounds for perfectionism's sake.

She stepped back and examined her artwork, intending to feel a sense of accomplishment that she always felt. But as she stood awaiting for it to wash over her, she began to feel a sense of emptiness inside her, a feeling of unfulfilling and incompletion. She looked over the artwork and became displeased with it, trusting in her soul that it wasn't good enough, before she tossed it to the floor ungraciously. She then took a new canvas and placed it in the slot, before pausing to plan her next artwork.

Just then, Ashley suddenly noticed a new emptiness begin to emerge in her, holding her hand against her stomach to quell a sudden pain. Frustrated, she dropped the pallet and stormed to the fridge, pulling out the first thing she saw inside and finding a brand new bag of shredded cheese. She shrugged and took the bag over to the stove, pouring it into a pan and heating the grill as the cheese began to melt into a liquid state. Once finished grilling, she scooped the cheese onto a plate and diced it into squares, before taking the plate to the bench and swiftly downing its contents.

As she stood up and off her stool, she turned around and spotted the painting resting on the floor beside the back of the couch. Before she could disregard it as she intended, her emptiness had begun to remanifest inside her and she urged to make up for her mediocre artwork of a few minutes prior. She returned to the front of the easel and placed a new canvas in preparation, before retrieving her pallet and paintbrush and imagining her next piece.

Opposite to the much more bland and realistic design of the heart shaped gemstone, Ashley decided to instead take a more colourful approach and fill her artwork with many bold shades and tones. She outlines a curved hill with an asphalt road, leading upwards towards an arching pair of towers connected by a bridging platform. In the foreground, she smiled as she sculpted a cartoony rabbit from pink paints to tone its fur. Ashley made an effort to put detail into the fur and the swaying grass, the more distant grass and the towers intentionally being given less detail to exemplify how far away they were.

Finally, after two hours of labour, totalling to three hours and thirty five minutes of painting, Ashley stood back and looked over her latest work. Needless to say, she was delighted with the result. Despite its cartoony appearance, the detail of the rabbit made it look like a genuinely realistic breed of rabbit she could find in the wild. The grass glowed divinely beneath the blue sky and each individual blade could be told apart. Ashley finally felt her empty void refilling.

The artwork was a Masterpiece.

Ashley grabbed the artwork and pulled it from its base, before giddily running to her bedroom. She hung the painting on the wall and looked over it, having made up her mind. Any time she makes a Masterpiece artwork, she would hang it her bedroom so that she could revel in her skill. She felt a sense of greed in her heart from this idea and it made her smile. She felt like a dragon from an old fairy tale, hoarding its treasure to itself.

Ashley stepped outside and basked in the sun again, hoping to maintain the feeling of satisfaction that the confines of her home would rob her of. She stretched her straining arms out and sighed with relief. She opened her eyes and noticed a lack of pedestrians walking along the street, her eyes immediately focusing on the sole individual within her field of view. Sitting against the sidewalk beside her path was an African man with an athletic build dressed in a sports outfit, clearly relaxing after a period of exercise.

Ashley came over to get a closer look, and was shocked to find that the man was not relaxing, but instead seemed to be in a state of turmoil. Ashley leaned over and asked "You okay, sir?", the man looking up to acknowledge Ashley's presence. "Oh… Ain't you Ashley?" he asked curiously, Ashley replying with a polite nod. The man simply sighed as his head dropped, "Don't mind me… I'll be heading off in a moment".

Ashley looked over the man and was prepared to leave, before she examined his attire and asked curiously "You wouldn't happen to be on the football team, would you?" The man looked up with a raised eyebrow and answered "Actually, I am. Why?" Ashley grin smugly at a thought she had, before asking "You know a guy named Parker Hayes?" The man gave a short laugh as he exclaimed "Oh, shit yeah. He's on the team with us. The team are running through the town as a part of their training". Ashley's eye twitched as she admitted "This place has some pretty odd rules for sports".

Just then, from across the rounding corner of the sidewalk came a running figure in the pair's direction. Ashley looked up and was astonished to see a familiar manbun bobbing towards her. "Parker!" Ashley shouted as the man turned to face the same direction. Parker stopped with a smug grin on his face, "I see you've met Jamie, Ash". He looked down and held a hand out to the seated colleague, who gratefully took it and ascended to an upright stance.

"Parker told me all about you, Ashley" Jamie explained with a newly forming grin on his face, "You've been making a name for yourself around town lately". Ashley began to blush and answered "Oh… well, I just… It's good to show my skills to people". Parker chuckled at her reaction and added "A name for herself… Just wait to see the kinds of pictures she makes" followed with a smarmy wink.

Ashley's blushed immediately spread throughout her entire face, horrified at how Parker would embarrass her like that. The two boys laughed together at her reaction until Parker finally said "Okay, okay. We'll stop harassing you, Ashley. We should be heading off now". Jamie nodded and answered "Yeah. It's getting late and training's almost over". Ashley waved after them as the men returned to the sidewalk and began running out of her field of view.

Ashley was about to head back inside and turn in for the night, but was halted when a voice behind her called her name. She turned to find a blonde young man with a formal attire stood across from her front path. "Oh hey" Ashley greeted with a wave as she made her way over, the man seeming overly excited as she approached. "I have to say…. It's so cool to finally meet Ashley Sun from the museum".

It was in that moment that Ashley realised that she had become a celebrity, a feeling that gave her an almost satanic sense of power. "Oh, c'mon. I can't be that famous yet. I've only been here for a week" Ashley rebutted in disbelief, though the man seemed to eagerly believe otherwise. "I'm Malcolm. Malcolm Landgraab" the man introduced himself as the pair shook hands, Ashley answering "Hey, I've heard of you. Landgraab's have lived here for generations, haven't they?"

Malcolm nodded and nervously stated "So… I kinda have a thing for collecting stuff from popular artists… so…". "Wanna souvenir?" Ashley offered, watching with delight as the lights in the man lit up at the question.

Ashley had already gotten the answers she wanted and ran inside, having made her choice of the souvenir in question. She leaned behind her couch and picked up her discarded painting, looking it over and confirmed her choice. She ran out with the picture and showed it to Malcolm, who looked it over with astonishment and clarified "And I don't have to pay you for this?!" "Nup!" Ashley answered as she handed the painting over, but was unready for a suddenly ensnarement into an affectionate hug from this stranger.

"You're a great person, Ashley. Everyone's right about you!" Malcolm cheered as she ran off down the sidewalk while waving madly, like excited to had her work amongst the works of other's professional artists. Ashley chuckled to herself as she returned inside, instantly turning into the house and flopping onto her bed. She sluggishly crawled to her pillow and looked out the window, watching as the stars began to emerge throughout the oncoming night sky. It wasn't long before the fatigue began to take its toll and Ashley fell into a deep sleep.

However, what Ashley hadn't accounted for is that a certain someone expected her to have a little more energy left. Ashley's phone vibrated in her pocket but Ashley was too far gone from the realms of reality to acknowledge it, a fact that the caller was dismayed to realise. Outside Ashley's house, a woman was standing beneath the streetlight with an open phone in her hand. After exhaling a pained sigh, the phone was flipped shut.


	14. Day 14 - Promotion

Ashley could only barely feel her muscles as she stirred into consciousness, likely from their hardships the day prior. She twisted and shifted under the covers and sought for any limbs that were capable of complicated movement, pet alone supporting her form as she left her bed. She sat up and dragged herself from out under the covers, hearing as her sore bones and muscles shifted and cracked into place from beneath her skin.

She drowsily trudged out of her bedroom and headed into the kitchen, hurrying to eat her breakfast a quick as possible. She was in a dire mood to paint a brand new painting and wanted to do so before she would have to go to work. She pulled out a bowl and a box of cereal, pouring it in and drowning it in milk before she rushed over to the bench. She ate as quickly as she could, and often found herself almost choking to death in between breaths and spoonfuls. As soon as the cereal was done, she was anguished to clean up after herself and further prolong her upcoming pass time.

With the bowl washed and paced in the sink for later, Ashley practically bolted though the living room and stopped before her easel, taking up her pallet and brush after placing the next canvas. In her sleep, she had dreamt of a dismal landscape dominated by grey and blue tones. The immediate area of view was open and the few sights to see consisted of several trees and rocks protruding from the earth. With the landscape from her dream memorised, she took up her pallet and began preparing her chosen colours.

An hour passed as Ashley constructed a layout of minimal vegetation in the bleak environment of her artwork. She felt herself become more and more anguished and depressed simply from the sight of her creation, but she guessed that this was meant to be the appropriate reaction. Stepping back and turning to look at her kitchen clock, she was pleased to read five past eight from the hands. Satisfied with her morning activities, she gathered her artworks and held them under her arm, before quickly running outside to flag down a taxi.

It was a quarter to nine by the time she had arrived at work and she was blissfully delighting in the indoor air-conditioning as she entered the museum. She approached the main desk as the clerk looked up at her and noticed thee stack of paintings in her possession. "Welcome back, Ashley" the clerk greeted politely, if somewhat robotically. With a quick and adequate nod, Ashley hurried up to the second floor and entered the studio.

The moment she stepped inside, she spotted her boss standing in the centre of the room, currently overseeing the progress of her employees. Cautiously as to not disturb her concentration, Ashley calmly approached her and caught her boss' attention.

"Oh Ashley! I've been expecting you!" her boss gritted as her eyes wandered down to the painting in Ashley's clutch, "And you've brought some new candidates I see". Ashley was caught off guard but nevertheless payed attention. "Follow me. I must speak with you in my office" she requested as the pair walked beside each other and Ashley was lead through the door and into the office. The boss sat down in her seat and Ashley stood, awaiting her employer's news.

"In three days there will be a market and the paintings in our studio will be up for auction" the boss explained. Ashley was shocked by this news and she explained "Oh god. Is the museum losing money or something?" The boss seemed confused but then chuckled from the realisation, "Oh no! This is actually a really good thing! People can purchase your paintings for large sums of money. They will pay the museum for entry and any money payed for artworks goes entirely to the artist!"

"Wait a minute!" Ashley intervened, "I can actually make my own money from my artworks _while_ I am payed for working _here_?" The boss nodded her head enthusiastically, clearly seeing how Ashley was stunned with delight at this news. "I feel no guilt in admitting that you are one of the best artists that we have had here, Ms. Sun. You will make a fortune". The boss looked into Ashley's eyes and snickered at the thought of seeing dollar signs emerging from them.

Ashley laid her paintings on the table and the boss carefully to each in her hands and began thoroughly examining them. For the most art, the boss was impressed with the level of dedication Ashley had applied, as she often was. But every once in a while, she would discover a painting that failed to meet her expectations at the others did, but this was a very minor problem. The final painting was of the moor and the boss was left in a hypnotic state as she examined it.

"Good lord. This is definitely the darkest artwork you've done, Ms. Sun" the boss explained. Her eyes rolled across the surface of the canvas as she viewed every dismal detail, "It's so… haunting". The boss visibly shuddered as she laid the painting back onto the table, sighing as she joked "I feel like I might have lost my soul if I stared any harder". Ashley giggled as the boss then added "But in all seriousness, I think this is my favourite of your works so far".

Ashley couldn't contain her bush as her cheeks flushed red at this flattering comment. The boss then leaned back in her chair and explained "The market will be in three days. Can you be sure to be here at that time". Ashley nodded and admitted "I have to say, I feel a bit dirty that I'm getting so much praise from everyone". "Bah! You'll grow to love it" the boss replied, "And besides, you'll have everything an artist would want. Money, fame, a legacy, a page on Wikipedia. Humility is overrated".

Ashley stood up and gathered her paintings and was preparing to leave, but her boss suddenly stopped her and said "And one more thing… I am really fond of your talents, and you know that. But I sad to admit that I cannot pay you the money you've earned for your service to the museum". Ashley looked down as her spirit deflated slightly, but as she was leaving and thee door began to close behind her, her boss then added "That's why I'm giving you a promotion".

Ashley returned home in complete silence, stepping out of the taxi and opening her front door and entering her home. This was when she deemed it opportune to scream with excitement at her unexpected advancement in her career. The regulations for promotions usually revolved around weeks and even months of service, so it's was astonishing to know that she had effected the boss in a way for her to make this exception.

"Ashley!"

Ashley turned around in fright and was shocked to find Lea running to her, finding herself ensnared in a tight hug from her closest friend. Ashley wanted to question why Lea had let herself into her home and was waiting so intently for her, but decided against it and simply appreciated the affection. Lea soon released her and held her hands on Ashley's shoulders, shouting breathlessly "I'm so proud of you, girl!"

Ashley was incredibly confused and was left to assume that Lea had somehow learned about her promotion at work. "How did you know about that? I only got the promotion a few hours ago" Ashley asked. Lea leaned back and tilted her head, "Eh? I'm talking about Parker, girl!" The confusion was passed back and forth between the two as Ashley asked "What do you mean?" "What?! Parker was totally flirting with you. He's got a crush on you!"

"What?! No he doesn't!" Ashley retorted, before pausing and asking "Does he?" "Are you kidding?! With the way you went googly eyed when looking at him… and those offers to go to the gym with him… and to wear those tight suits". The moment the latter was said, Ashley knew exactly where Lea was going and wouldn't have any of that. She snapped "Hey! He's not like that! I know lady killers when I see them, Lea. He's just a cool guy".

Lea simply folded her arms and smiled with an eyebrow raised, clearly unconvinced. "When was the last time somebody ever flirted with you?" Lea questioned. Ashley grinned with mischief and answered "Well, _you_. When I first came here, you could hardly keep your hands off me". Lea's eyes widened, obviously unprepared for this bold statement, but soon decided to match this with her own attitude.

Before Ashley could react, Lea had pressed her up against the wall and left her unable to escape from her captor's grip. Ashley's face immediately flushed as she submitted to Lea's advances, her muscles relaxing as Lea in to whisper in her ear. "You can't turn my own games against me, girl. You have no idea how I play" Lea snickered as her hot breath caused Ashley to shudder. Cackling softly at the response, Lea freed her and Ashley stumbled slightly before her onlooker.

"I can help you reel Parker in, Ashley. I can help you learn to play this game" Lea offered as Ashley finally was able to listen. Lea helped Ashley to the couch and the pair sat down, Lea's arm remaining wrapped around Ashley as they sat quietly. "I know you're fond of him. He's such a juicy hunk and has a great personality to boot" Lea continued. Lea suddenly raised her legs onto Ashley's lap and leaned in close with a hand holding Ashley's chin.

"I'm gonna help you find a good man".

Suddenly, and rather disappointingly to Ashley though she would rather die than admit it, Lea jumped up from the couch and stood straight. "I've been talking to Parker. Him and his friends are coming over today". Ashley immediate stood up and shouted "What?! Why didn't you tell me?! I'm not ready! I might embar-". Lea held her hand up to halt Ashley's panic and explained "Don't worry, Girl. Their coming to see your paintings". Ashley considered the situation and sighed with relief, already beginning to predict scenarios that she could coordinate with her plans.

Lean rounded the corner of the couch and looked down at the place where Ashley's paintings once were. Her eyes widened in shock and asked "Where did your paintings go?" Ashley leaned over the back of the couch and answered "Oh! I handed them over to the museum". Lea turned back and Ashley flinched the sight of her shocked expression, "I told them you would show them your works! What are we gonna do?!"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Both girls turned to face the door and both started to panic. "It's too late…" Ashley sighed, "I'm just gonna have to show them what I have left". "You mean your home paintings?!" Lean clarified, "You're not going to give them away, are you?!" Ashley turned to Lea and replied "No! Of course not!" There was another knock on the door and The two girl had found themselves at a loss. With no other options, Ashley opened the door to find a familiar manbun.

"Hey Parker! It's good to see you again" Ashley greeted politely. As she had expected, Parker was dressed in one of his more sporty outfits. Ashley's compulsion for perfection resulted in her feeling dissatisfied with this improper attire. Never the less she leaned back and offered Parker a path inside the house. However, as parker obliged and made his way in, Ashley had only now taken notice of the two guests that began to follow him in.

Ashley gave a confused face to the two strangers, a girl with black hair and a pretty white dress and a young man with a small moustache and glasses. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Isabella and this is my friend Brick. We're friends of Parker's" the girl introduced. "Yeah! We're big fans of your work, Ashley. We came to see the works you've told us about" the man explained in an unexpected deep voice, hardly what Ashley expected from him.

The pair walked inside and Ashley shut the door. "Like I told them" Ashley kissed as she shot a nasty glare towards Lea, who recoiled in acknowledgement. This was the third time Lea had impersonated her, but now wasn't the time to start fight. Ashley was forced to share the bad news with her three guests. "Sorry… But I've already handed over most of the paintings to the museum. You'll have to see them there" Ashley explained, "I only have a few left here, most of them in the bedroom".

Suddenly, she felt a tight grip on her shoulder and looked back to find Lea looking scared. "Please! Ashley, don't let them see the painting of me!" she begged, looking half ready to fall to her knees. "What? Why not? It's a good painting" Ashley questioned, but was interrupted when Ashley screamed through clenched teeth "Please! I beg you!"

"Oh… well, I wish we knew you did that" Isabella admitted, but then continued with "But then I guess it would be better to see in in a frame in air conditioning". "Yes I'm so sorry about this… I um…" Ashley looked back at the cowering Lea and concluded "I just didn't realise you would be here so soon. I would have called you". She looked back second time and winked at Lea with a smile, the latter smiling in return.

The two newly introduced friends quickly left not long afterwards, giving their farewells and promising to see Ashley's works at the museum. Parker was the last to leave but Ashley quickly stopped him, gripping his arm as much as she could as he almost left. "I have to say I'm so sorry about this. I know you're probably disappointed and I will-".

Ashley was preparing to let loose a slew of apologies, but was silenced when a warmth suddenly enveloped her cheek. She raised her hand to the skin and felt a masculine hand on the surface. "Don't worry about it… I can't get pissed off with someone as great as you". Ashley was frozen to the spot, internally restraining a blush that crept beneath her skin. With a final courteous smile, he freed his hand from her skin and wave as he took his leave.

Ashley's hand remained on her cheek as the door slowly closed, turning to look at Lea. "You were right… he… I think you were right" Ashley stammered breathlessly. Lea drew close and wrapped her arms around Ashley's shoulders, excitedly screaming "Ashley! You did it! He wants you!" Ashley was rooted to the spot as all of the previous transpired events came together. "He actually loves me…" Ashley's strength began to wane as her emotion overwhelmed her senses. "He cares for me. What do I do?! How should I treat him?! How _will_ he treat _me_?! Lea I… I…".

Next thing Ashley knew, she had flopped face first into her bed, lacking the strength to either stand or leave the bed by herself. She rolled over and saw Lea standing above her, smiling cheekily and giving a wink. "Lucky girl" was all Lea said, or at least all Ashley heard her say, before Ashley's eyes began to droop and she fell asleep from exhaustion.


	15. Day 15 - Intense Massage

Ashley's eyes once again creaked open as she stirred awake in her bead, feeling satisfied to finally awaken without the influence of sunlight in her window. She leaned upwards and slouched forward into a sitting position, her lead lowered and her muscles lacking strength. Her hair was dishevelled from her frequent tossing and turning during the night. She yawned drowsily as her arms and legs sluggishly began to shift from beneath the covers, before she finally sat on the edge of her bed and stood up.

The moment she was on her feet, a sharp pain resonated beneath her waist and she immediately understood the reason why. All without having properly restored her former body strength, she stumbled clumsily through the door and ran for the bathroom, locking the door behind her. She couldn't remember if she had even used the bathroom yesterday and her current situation indicated the most likely answer.

Even after she was finished with the bathroom and exited, there was no relief to be felt when the problem was resolved. With the pain in her gut diminished, a new discomfort had caught her attention. Her muscles had begun to feel strained and rigid and her breathing was disorganised. She was clearly feeling tension but she couldn't understand what could have caused it. With is new desire to relax her body from this tension, she re-entered the bathroom and turned on the shower.

Despite thee altering temperatures of the water that poured on her skin as she experimentally turned the handles, she was unable to calm the stirring discomfort in her body. Left at a loss, she finally gave up and stepped out of the shower, drying herself off and folding the towel neatly into the sink cupboard. As she began to leave for the second time, a low churn resounded from her waist. As her hand came to rest on her upset belly, Ashley sneered and muttered "It's just one thing after another today, isn't it?"

Ashley cooked herself some 2-minute noodles and quickly set to work on them, slowly losing the patience to answer to each hindrance she comes across. With the bowel empty of a majority of its previous contents, Ashley left the bowel in the sink and stretched her arms. No matter how she twisted and turned her body, her tension remained to hamper her thoughts.

Nevertheless, it was likely she would have to suffer it during work, as the clock read half past eight. She returned to her bedroom and changed into the most formal outfit she could find, or at least one that wasn't considered for laundering when she got home. With her requirements for the morning met, Ashley went outside and stood along the sidewalk in search of a taxi.

When she finally arrived at her workplace, she welcomed the air-conditioning as she often did and headed straight for her workroom, worried by how her tension could affect her performance. However, as she approached the door to the room, a voice calling "Ms Sun!" and a series of footsteps behind her prompted her to turn around and find her boss. She stopped before Ashley and stated "Ms Sun I have been expecting you. I have something for you to see. Come with me".

The pair turned away from the studio and traversed through the ground floor of the museum, before they finally entered a wing that left Ashley in shock. She looked along the walls and examined the many painting aligning them, recognising them instantly as her jaw dropped open and her eyes began to water. Her paintings had been accepted for display and were held in beautifully golden frames for the world to see. Ashley's chest heaved as her hand covered her mouth, the sight of her success almost too much for her to bear.

Her boss allowed her a moment of appreciation before they would return to their duties.

The rest of her workday went about as typically as Ashley had hoped, but her tension continued to worry her as she had also expected. During her return home, she couldn't help but find her mind plagued with thoughts of failure, spawned from a potentially lacklustre performance from today in comparison to the previous days of work.

As she stepped out of the taxi and staggered home, the tension had become too much for her to bear and she sought to find the source before it got any worse. As she stepped inside and sat on the living room couch, she attempted to ponder the possible causes for her tension but found herself constantly distracted. Whenever she found herself in a situation like this, she had never handled it on her own and had someone to help her.

All of the sudden, her phone vibrated in her side pocket and she pulled it out to find out who it was. To her surprise and delight, she heard a familiar voice greet "Hey girl! Mind if I come over and hang out with you?" Ashley smiled as she answered "Sure, Lea! Come over! I could use the company". "Okay! See you soon!" Lea answered as the connection was lost, Ashley closing her phone and sitting back to patiently wait for her friend to arrive. From just a simple short talk, Ashley began to feel the tension diminish slightly, confirming her loneliness to be the source.

Beyond what she expected, there was a knock on the door only mere seconds after the conversation. Lea had done this sort of thing before so Ashley decided it was no longer worth questioning by now. She stood up and answered the door, joyous to find her friend awaiting permission to enter. "Hey Ashley!" Lea cheered as the pair hugged, both soon finding themselves seated together on the couch.

From the very beginning, Lea could tell there was something wrong simply from the way Ashley was acting and how she spoke. Bless the poor girl for trying to remain calm and friendly for her guest in spite of her tension, but it would only bring more harm than good to her as a result. "Are you feeling okay, Ashley?" Kea asked with concern, "You seem a bit… nervous".

Ashley eventually surrendered and explained "I have no Idea what the hell it is… but I haven't felt very good today. I'm just tense all the time now". Judging from Lea's expression, she seemed to understand had was formulating a solution. "I bet. You're always locked up by yourself in this lonely house. I guess it's starting to take its toll" Lea theorised, and Ashley couldn't help but find truth in it.

Lea scooted over towards Ashley until their elbows came in contact, Lea wrapping one arm around Ashley's shoulder and the other reaching towards her waist. Ashley tensed slightly from the unexpected advance but soon melted into a state of luxury as Lea's hands went about their business. Lea massaged and kneaded her body like the limp piece of hardened dough she had become.

Lea began by turning Ashley's body to face away from her and towards the kitchen, before running her hands over the girl's shoulders and repeatedly squeezing them. Ashley couldn't help by grin dumbly as her tension evaporated across her body, her shoulders moving in rhythm with Lea's hands. "I hope you don't mind this. I can stop if you get too weirded out" Lea offered, but Ashley simply replied "No… do whatever you want… with me".

Lea smirked at this invitation and her hands finally released their grip on the girl's shoulders, moving southwards to Ashley's waist. Ashley giggled softly as Lea held her hips and began to knead them, thus driving away the tension building up in her spine. Ashley kicked off her shoes and pulled her legs and socked feet onto the couch with her, crossing them together.

Lea was soon done with Ashley's waist and her fingers traced down her thighs, indicating her next target. However, just as Lea was preparing to massage them, Ashley said "One sec… the pants… are ruining it…". To Lea's astonishment, Ashley had the guts to pull her pants down in front of her guest and expose her undergarments, before the latter shifted her legs and lay them on Lea's lap. Lea grinned at the newly laid Ashley, who grinned in response.

Lea loved how Ashley's smile had never faltered ever since she began this massage, but had never expected Ashley to be so open to her advances. Lea's hands rubbed up and down each thigh and soon made their way towards the calves. "I bet you're enjoying this…" Ashley sighed blissfully as she felt the most relaxed that she ever had been in a week. Lea chuckled without ceasing her massage, answering "I enjoy that _you're_ enjoying this".

Soon, Ashley sat up and her legs slid from Lea's lap onto the floor, Ashley sighing to signify her lack of tension to her masseuse. "Thank you so much for that, Lea… I was feeling so terrible before you did that" Ashley explained. "You know I hate it when you're feeling like that… I'm just surprised you let me get away with so much" Lea joked, bringing Ashley to chuckle beside her. Ashley then smirked and replied "Oh really? Well… there were some spots that you missed".

Lea was silent for a moment, but she soon grinned as she contained a laugh. The pair chuckled under their breath as Ashley sat back on her side of the couch. Ashley then stood up from the couch and stretched, welcoming the new feeling of relaxation in her muscles. "I'm gonna make some dinner. Want any?" she offered kindly to her guest. Lea answered "Sure! What are you making?"

Ashley pulled out a packet of flour and several accompanying ingredients for her mix, while Lea offered to help in bringing the utensils and containers they would need. They maxed the ingredients together and Ashley set about pouring the mix into tray, before she put them into the stove to cook. The pair were forced to wait a few moments before the cooking would be done.

Lea took out a bottle of soda from the fridge and poured a glass for both herself and Lea, who accepted the offer graciously. As the pair began downing their drinks, Ashley began "I'm just so surprised. You have been such a great help for me at my worst times". "Well, you're such a great person. I'd hate to think that something bad can happen to you" Lea explained. "But you helped me out with everything… You even helped me find a potential boyfriend".

"Oh! How's _that_ going? Have you seen him today?" Lea questioned, but was disappointed by her friend shaking her head solemnly. "He's such a great guy, though. I really need to ask him out soon before someone steals him" Ashley informed her, "Next time I see him, I might do that". A sudden ding from the stove signalled the completion of their cooking. Ashley headed over to the stove and pulled the tray out, before returning to the table and tipping the contents onto a plate.

She organised the heart shaped biscuits and began pouring strawberry icing on each one. The pair were intoxicated by the smell and they sorted their even shares. Lea took a biscuit and took a bite, grinning at the rush of flavours in her mouth. "These are so good! You should be a cook if you get bored of art" Lea complimented. Ashley giggled and replied "Cooking _is_ an art".

Eventually, Lea had prepared to take her leave, both girls standing before the front door. "Thanks for letting me stop by, girl. You're the best!" Ashley waved the compliment away and answered "No! Thank you! I was in a really shitty mood before you got here. You can fix _any_ problems someone has in life". The pair hugged a final time before Lea opened the front door and ventured out into the darkness.

Ashley shut the door and yawned drowsily, turning slowly to make her way into her bedroom. She ventured over to the far side of the bed and pulled the covers open, before wearily collapsing in. As she shifted beneath the covers to organise her sleeping position, she sighed at how well the day had gone for her on a personal level. She yawned a final time before she drifted to sleep.


	16. Day 16 - Homeless

Ashley's eyes fluttered open as she drowsily got her bearings and understood her situation. She sat up from her pillow and leant her head forward, dragging her dishevelled and stiffened hair down with her. She slowly slid her legs to the side of the bed and sat up, preparing her slow journey to the kitchen for some breakfast. Unfortunately for her, she was destined to make an even quicker trip at the hands of the blanket tugging against her ankle.

All at once, Ashley became entirely aware of reality and her energy soared up to eleven. She hat tripped and rammed her head against her bedroom wall before collapsing to the floor and holding her forehead in pain. She growled audibly under her breath and staggered out into the living room through her open door, rage and adrenaline from the pain welling within her bloodstream. She stomped into the kitchen and pulled open the fridge for something to eat, grumbling under her breath "Ergh… fucking blanket… head fucking cracked in two… I hate life…".

However, the moment she opened the fridge and her eyes focused on a particular treat, her tension began to relax. She saw the cookies that she had made for her friend Lea when she came over yesterday. Some cookies were leftover but Ashley knew not to let such a tasty treat go to waste. With a steadily growing grin, she pulled the plate from the shelf and took a treat in her hand before kicking the fridge door closed behind her.

She sat at nearest seat and took a bite from the cookie she held, her mind wandering off to the events that took place last night. The cookies were just as sweet and cooperative as they were when they were baked, though they were also slightly hardened from preservation within the cold confines of the refrigerator. After she was finished and the plate was bare, she dutifully, almost automatically took the plate to the sink and rinsed it of the remaining crumbs.

Ashley was just leaving the kitchen as a sudden sharp ripple beckoned through her body, immediately diverting her from her thoughts. Hastily leaving her hot shower and standing before an open fridge had begun to take its toll on her body and an intense cold surrounded her. She shivered for a brief moment before she quickly ran to the front door and headed outside into the warm sun.

Even before Ashley had stepped outside, a rich warmth pushed through the open doorway and into the house to greet her, further convincing her and bringing a blissful smile to her face. She crossed over her patio and descended the steps onto her front path, the light of the sun peaking over the rise and bombarding its rays against her skin. She shut her eyes as she continued to bask in the light of the sun, but was soon drawn to the sound of a faint chuckle from her left.

She reopened her eyes and glanced left, finding several pedestrians crossing in front of her house, some heartily laughing at her enjoyment of the sun's embrace before continuing on their own way. However, peculiarly, from closer inspection, Ashley soon noticed that a majority of pedestrians that she could see were visibly within an elderly age range. Only a handful of younger men and women accompanied them along the sidewalks, all appearing to be exercising through a morning jog.

This was the best sight that Ashley could have seen at this time, since it meant that Parker would likely run past soon and she could finally ask him out on a date. She stepped away from her front yard and sat on the steps, waiting patiently as the sun continued to shine upon her and her ambitions would soon be rewarded. Minutes became an hour, but Ashley was determined to make sure that she wouldn't miss him as he ran past, and therefore remained alert of every passer-by that entered her field of view.

Suddenly, the manbun.

Ashley rocketed up from her seat and stared closely at the passing hunk, recognising the smile, the muscles, the outfit, and especially that hair from anywhere. Ashley ran over to the sidewalk and waved him down, catching Parker's attention as he turned to face her. Ashley stopped at the end of her pathway as Parker finally jogged towards her and stopped with a curious expression on his face.

"Hey, Ash! What's up?" he asked, clearly intrigued by her enthusiastic behaviour. Ashley became evermore giddy as the moment of her life was finally about to happen. She answered "Parker! I was hoping you'd come by. I have something to ask you". Parker awaited Ashley's question patiently, but was surprised when Ashley reached down and took both his hands in her own. Surprised and confused but still curious of what she was intending, Parker watched as Ashley gripped his palm firmly and sensed her assertive intent.

"I…".

Ashley instantly felt a cold chill overcome her, in spite of the warm sun she was standing beneath. All that preparation to finally ask him out, and only now had she considered the probable consequences of this act. Despite this, Ashley knew in her heart that this was the one and only chance she could have to give a firm and positive impression of herself, and that she would have to make it count.

"I was wondering if you'd go on a date with me".

From this statement, the silence that grew between them was unnerving, but Ashley could tell if it was for the right or wrong reasons. The pair stared into eachother's eyes and neither could pull away. Ashley had decided to confirm the result for herself and add an extra element into the mix, just to further prove her devotion to Parker. She pulled his hands further up until they were level with her neck, before leaning in slowly and puckering her lips. She would kiss his hands and hoped to prove her loyalty and devotion to him, possibly even have her date tonight if he had the spare time.

His hands were gone from her grip. She looked up and found him stepping away, his hands withdrawn against his chest. He looked downwards and avoided eye contact with her. Ashley was silent and stiff, her cheeks steadily beginning to flush as her eyes began to dull lifelessly. She wanted to deny it and even considered it, but she knew exactly what would happen from this moment on and how she could never fix a mistake this immense.

"Ashley… I don't want a girlfriend".

The words were so flat and assertive, Ashley was astonished she wasn't knocked onto her stupid, fat ass from the force. Parker sighed slowly before continuing "I'm so sorry, Ashley… I was being flirty with you…. It was just to be funny". A part of Ashley didn't want to listen as she was feeling her world crumble evermore as each word passed through his lips. She at least took comfort in the fact that Parker seemed to at least be remorseful towards her, which is more than what she could've expected.

Just as the pair were like in a social paradox, a constant beeping sound began and the pair looked down at Parker's wrist. "Oh… I have to keep going" he explained, his voice having deflated to fit the current mood. "Again… I'm so sorry, Ashley" he gave a final apology. With that, he turned away and continued his jog down the street. Ashley simply stared in incomprehension until he eventually disappeared from sight.

Before she realised it, Ashley found herself sitting in the couch with her hands in her lap, staring blankly at the black television screen. She had no plan for what she would do if she was rejected, all from her confidence in a positive future between her and her boyfriend. All she found the strength for was to sit limply and pray that Parker would make no mention of her embarrassing advances to his friends.

Unlike her mind, however, her body was not intent on remaining benign for such a long time. Ashley felt an uncomfortable disturbance grow in side her and instinctually held her stomach with her hand. She stood up and groggily trudged over to the kitchen for a snack. She didn't feel as choosey as she normally would be and picked the first thing she saw from the cupboard. Contrary to her expectations, she actually was delighted to find a packet of garlic flavoured noodles in her clutch.

Several minutes passed as she prepared her lunch and finally seating herself to eat it, her briefly lifted mood steadily beginning to revert to its original sorrow. Even as she lost focus on her actions and continued to recollect her embarrassing encounter repeatedly in her head, she was forced by her perfectionism to slowly and carefully eat her lunch all the while.

Even long after she was finished her lunch, she had no plan for what to do next. She found herself once again sitting still and reflecting on her past mistakes. Maybe she could try it again soon. Maybe he might want a girlfriend in the future. Maybe she'll find another man. She spent so much time worrying about what could happen and what could've been done, she soon understood what she needed right now. She needed someone to comfort her in this troubling situation.

She needed Lea.

Just then, a ringtone blared within Ashley's pocket and drew her from her thoughts. She pulled her phone out and opened it, the thought of who could be calling her instantly filling her with a new hope. Whether it was Lea offering to visit or Parker reconsidering the offer did not matter, but a call from either one of them was exactly what she needed right now. She held the phone to her ear and greeted "Hello?"

"Ashley!" a distinctly feminine voice greeted from the other end. Ashley instantly smiled as she recognised the voice in an instant, replying "Lea! It's great to hear you again!" There was a chuckle from Lea before she explained "Listen! I have some great news for you". Ashley listened closely as Lea, rather plainly, revealed "I'm having my birthday party at my house and I invite you to come".

If Ashley was delighted from simply hearing Lea's voice, then being given the chance to see Lea again was heaven's choirs to Ashley's ears. "Absolutely!" she answered with all the enthusiasm she could muster, "Where's your house?" "Parched Prospect. It's a place called Dusty Lot" Lea instructed. Ashley memorised the words name in her head before answering "Got it. I'll see you there girl. Happy Birthday!" "Later, girl!" Lea answered before the line when silent. Ashley put her phone in her pocket and breathed a sigh of hope.

However, as she sat there, mulling over the chance to see Lea again, she noticed something very strange. Never had Lea mentioned her Birthday up until this moment, not up until the day itself. If Lea was so open to her before, then why would she never have spoken of such an important event? Nevertheless, Ashley finally has something to occupy her time and began planning her day for the party.

Ashley dressed herself in an outfit that she felt to be the most appropriate for the party; an outfit that was relatively fashionable, yet still casual enough for a public event such as this. In the end, she settled on a black jumper with a turtle neck, a pair of jeans that were torn at the knees and black high-heel boots. She headed on her way to the curb and flagged down a taxi, giving instruction for her destination to the driver as he re-joined the road.

After several minutes of enjoying the air conditioning within the taxi, she finally felt the car come to a halt along the side of a street that she had never seen before. She looked out the window and scanned up and down the neighbourhood sidewalks, searching intently for certain raven girl awaiting her arrival. Sadly, she found hardly a trace of anyone on the sidewalks, let alone her friend. At a loss, Ashley shrugged and handed her payment to the driver, before stepping out as the taxi returned to the road.

Ashley wandered along the street and watched over both sidewalks for Lea, feeling confused and lost by her presence in an unknown suburb. As the morning approached the afternoon, the increasing heat began to take its toll on her and she became increasingly exhausted as she travelled along the street. Eventually, she stopped in her tracks to relax her muscles, baffled by Lea's constant absence from the street as she walked.

"Hey Ashley!"

Within an instant, Ashley's heartbeat couldn't decide wither to increase from excitement or to cease from fright. She spun around and found a delightful smile awaiting her, followed by a pair of arms immediately surrounding her in a warm embrace. "Lea! I've been walking around this street for ages. I can't find your house" Ashley explained. As they began to break the hug, Ashley noticed Lea's smile falter slightly for a moment, as if she had come to a realisation that disturbed her. Ashley felt the urge to question this, but felt that an explanation would eventually emerge on its own and left it alone. Instead, Ashley began walking along the sidewalk in the direction Ashley was initially traveling, possibly offering to show the way for her. Naturally, Ashley tagged along as they both walked side by side, Ashley gleefully stating "Again! Thanks so much for seeing me here, girl!" Ashley shrugged and replied "I wouldn't miss out on my best friend's birthday like that. I'd never forgive myself".

As she said this, the truth of the matter had come back to haunt her, and the truth of her visit plagued her mind, "Besides… something's happened that I need to tell you about". Lea turned to face her with a curious smirk, "What's happened?" Lea shrugged and relieved a sigh, stating simply, "I saw Parker today… and I confessed to him".

Lea became strangely quiet as this was said and Ashley turned to try and find out why, finding Lea with an enormous and excited smile on her face. Lea practically screamed "Oh my god! Ashy, you did it?! How did he take it?!" Ashley cringed at the sound of Lea's delight, knowing that she had misinterpreted what she meant to express. Ashley couldn't bear to look at Lea and what could happen when she told her the truth, but she had no other options. Ashley slowly turned to face Lea, her pained and defeated eyes telling a story all on their own. Ashley could see Lea's joyous attitude slowly deteriorate as the silence continued, compelling Ashley to rip away the bandage as quickly as possible.

"I… he… um… He didn't want a girlfriend".

All while her smile was slowly descending, these words resulted in its instant collapse. "What?" was all Lea could say. She didn't scream dramatically, she didn't yell, she didn't even speak beyond barely a whisper. Instead, Lea's eyes offered all the shock that her voice lacked, and it pained Ashley to even look at them. In that moment, Ashley immediately realised how enthusiastic Lea truly was over her relationship with Parker. Lea's initial excitement was so beyond what Ashley would have expected as a reaction from a friend's standpoint on the subject. More curious still was this newly discovered sadness that she had never seen Lea express to such an extent. Lea seemed to look just as depressed and defeated as Ashley herself felt when she experienced it, almost as it her own loss equated to Lea's loss.

Lea soon looked away and suddenly stopped in her tracks, causing the unprepared Ashley to stop also and turn to face her. Lea looked to her left towards the block and the winding collection of households, though her field of view hadn't settled on anything of the sort. Instead, unlike the rest of the block, laying before the pair was an expense of unclaimed land, sporting nought by a plain of grass and a white wooded sign reading 'Dusty Lot'.

" _This_ is the place? It can't be. Lea?" Ashley babbled in confusion before looking towards Lea for any assistance, but found that Lea was not paying attention. Lea began walking onto the lot with her hands raised to either side of her head, as if she had been caught any clue of what to do next. She stopped a few steps in and simply stood still, facing away from Ashley. Ashley herself had begun to feel afraid to say anything, or do anything in general, but she felt that Lea might need some comfort for whatever struggle she's experiencing at this time.

"Lea, are you alright?" she began, though Lea didn't react to the question with any physical movement. "Lea, what's going on? Where's your house?" Ashley asked again, this time more firmly. Ashley had so many questions for Lea that she wanted answered, and was confused as to why someone as previously open as Lea suddenly became so distant and mysterious. She knew that Lea would have to explain the situation and awaited a logical reason for this bizarre situation.

"It's not real" Lea answered, her hushed voice almost becoming overwhelming by the wind blowing through the lot. Despite being an answer, it only added more question to Ashley's list of inquiries. "Not real? What's not real?" Ashley continued to question, but Ashley fell silent once again, possibly formulating her response. "This is not real… all of this… me… it's all made up" Lea continued. Once again, this answer didn't help Ashley to figure out what's going on. Why weren't they at Lea's house? Where is Lea's house? Why did she say she lived at Dusty Lot? Why did Lea want her to come here? Where was the birthday party? Where are Lea's friends? Even with all of these unanswered questions, Ashley quickly found herself coming to a short list of answers to them.

"I'm sorry…" Lea stammered slightly, grabbing Ashley's attention. "I was so certain you and Parker would be perfect for eachother" Lea explained; a short explanation, but fulfilling in its role.

Compelled by her instinct, Ashley began approaching Lea where she stood and was finally directly behind her. From here, she could here Lea muttering something under her breath, something that sounded along the lines of "This wasn't how it was meant to happen… It's all gone wrong".

"Why? Why are you trying to help me with this?" Ashley asked, "In fact, why have you been helping me some much since we met?" Lea's arms fell to her sides and she visibly sighed, "I want you to be happy. I want to _help_ you be happy. You deserve to be". The silence between them had previously been concerning, but had now become intimidating for her. After a moment of unmoving posture, Lean's head slowly rose from its bowed position, "Ashley… I like helping you… It's my purpose to help you… But I don't know what to do anymore".

Lea had been acting almost as Ashley's guardian angel ever since they met, cancelling out every negative aspect in Ashley's life up until this moment. But now, in her own moment of confusion and dismay, Ashley found herself unable to assist her through it. But while she was standing on the sidelines of Lea's confessions, she was internally piecing the situation together, but she was afraid of the conclusion she was quickly coming to. The vacant lot of land, Lea's frequent visits to her home, her bouts of appearing and disappearing around her home. All of these occurrences led to a conclusion that broke Ashley's heart.

"Lea… are you homeless?" she asked.

Lea turned to face her upon hearing this question, but instead of the pained eyes that Ashley expected, Lea almost seemed confused. Despite the confused expression, Ashley finally had a chance to see into her eyes and could sense the defeat that Lea felt at this moment. After the two stared for a moment into eachother's eyes, Lea shook her head and concluded "I don't think you should see me anymore". "What?! Why not?!" Ashley exclaimed, "You're my friend, Lea! You did so ma-".

Just as Ashley found herself striving closer to an answer to all of these nonsensical events, she was interrupted by a faint pain in her stomach, followed by a low rumble. Ashley held her stomach and groaned, finding that her lunch had not satisfied her as she had assumed. "No! Not now!" she muttered under her breath as she looked ahead towards the stiffened Lea. Alas, she had no other choice, especially since the party and whatever food she might have had there would not be an option.

Ashley walked up behind her friend and wrapped her worms around her, embracing her from behind. At this, she felt Lea tense slightly, but nevertheless remained motionless. "I'm so sorry… I gotta go" Ashley huffed, barely containing her heartache as she spoke. Lea simply nodded in response. With nothing left Ashley walked away and stood at the sidewalk, awaiting a taxi to bring her home. However, instinctually, Ashley turned around to view Lea from where she stood one final time, and what she saw was what she had expected. Lea had disappeared from the lot without a trace.

The ride home was less than comfortable, partly from her stomach eating itself, but mostly from Ashley's emotional conundrum. As she walked along her driveway, she had found herself back at square one in her day. However, there was a difference that made her current position even worse than before. Ashley stooped before her door as she considered the future from what happened today. First Parker refuses her confessions, and now she has upset Lea, whom she possibly may no longer see. In a panic from this realisation, Ashley made up her mind and pulled out her phone.

She lost one battle today; she would not lose another.

She rapidly dial the number into her phone and brought it to her ear, hoping beyond Jesus that she could hear her best friend's voice again. "Ashie?" she heard from the other end. Ashley was in a mood and a state to demand, eager to exclaim "Girl, get your ass over to my place and stay with me", but felt that she must be more delicate with the possibly emotionally damaged Lea. So instead, she answered "Lea… wanna come to my house? I think we both need the company right now". There was no answer, instead the dialtone began repeating from the speaker. Ultimately defeated, Ashley closed her phone and put it back in her pocket before entering her home.

Had she not been craving produce at that moment, she would have lost her appetite from her unfortunate encounter. She entered the kitchen and opened the fridge before taking a container of orange juice, hoping it would be quick and substantial enough to satisfy her many current needs. Pouring a glass for herself, she set the container on the counter and swiftly downed the contents of her glass.

 _Knock! Knock! Knock!_

In that split second, Ashley couldn't decide between spitting orange juice onto the floor and risk staining or to risk choking on the orange juice as she swallowed. She turned to face the floor aster safely composing herself and finishing her juice, she ran to the door with disbelief. "No! It can't possibly be her!" she thought to herself, "I only just got home and I took a damn car here!" Despite this, she couldn't help but pray that Lea was indeed responding to her call, and that the pair could help to quell eachother's pains.

Ashley pulled open the door and found the sight that she had indeed wanted to see, clad in her beautiful black dress and her head flowing with neat raven hair. As pained as Lea seemed to have been before, she now sported a small smile, possibly to express her gratitude for the invitation. Words were not exchanged in there greeting, and Ashley knew the perfect substitute as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her friend. Apparently comfortable with the advance, Lea returned the hug and the pair held eachother for a moment, each appreciating the other's kindness and affection. Soon, the pair released eachother and Ashley stood aside from the open doorway, allowing with open arms for Lea to enter.

Both entered the living room and Ashley made her way into the kitchen, whilst Lea waited beside the couch. "Would you like something to eat?" Ashley asked curiously as she opened all of the cupboards, allowing Lea to look through and view the options. "Something quick tonight. I don't mind" Lea replied as she pointed towards the packets of garlic flavour noodles. Nodding in acknowledgment, Ashley took a pair of packets and began preparing the meals.

With their meals prepared, the pair took their respective meals and sat together on the sofa, switching the television onto a random program as they ate. "Thank you so much for letting me stay here" Lea complimented as she neared the completion of her meal. Ashley shook her head and answered "No! Thank you! After Parker, I _really_ needed someone to help me get over it". Ashley laid her plate on the table and leaned against Lea's shoulder, continuing "It's wonderful to have a friend that can help you through the worst times". "Likewise" Lea answered as she wrapped her arm around the resting woman, helping to warm the both of them through their contact.

A few minutes of relaxing and watching television later, Lea sat up and stood before stretching her arms in the air. Ashley straightened her posture in response and asked "What's wrong?" Lea chuckles and answered "It's getting late now. I should be heading off", before beginning to make her way to the door. Panicking but delirious from her rest, Ashley sluggishly stood up and stumbled after her, stating "Wait, Lea! You can stay here with me if you want!" Ashley rounded the corner and found the door open wide, prompting her to step outside and scan the street for her colleague. To her disappointment and irritation, Lea had once again vanished from the face of the earth.

Shrugging, Ashley closed the door and stretched, feeling far too cosy and relaxed to allow herself to become tense from prolonged consciousness. As a result, she entered her bedroom and slipped under the covers of her bed. A she snuggled comfortable under the worm covers, she wondered how Lea would cope with the cold when wearing that dress. She only dwelled on this thought for a moment, before she found herself drifting off to sleep.


	17. Day 17 - The Fair

Ashley found herself waking up much later than she expected to, opening her eyes to be met only by the slightest sliver of light gleaming through her windows. She turned her head and looked towards the sky as it slowly transitioned from tangerine orange to the traditional bright blue. She smiled slightly and suddenly felt the urge to eat on the thought of fruit. She turned her head back upwards and stared at the ceiling, the sensation quickly spent and her smile slowly falling.

She curled up under her blankets as she recollected yesterday evening's events. She wrapped her arms around herself and snuggled slightly under the covers, the warm embrace helping to comfort her in that moment. As warm and reassuring as the blanket was, she couldn't help but feel an emptiness as she lay in the darkness in her bedroom. She of course knew what was missing, but she couldn't fathom why she only felt this now and never before. Feeling herself become more disappointed and dismayed as she continued to ponder this, she decided to distract herself and begin her day.

She sat up and immediately regretted it, feeling the cool air impact against her skin like a splashing wave. She tensed from the irritating sensation and lazily pulled her legs out the side of the covers, before standing up and stretching her arms. She yawned and arched her back to relieve any trace of tension, before staggering clumsily to her bedroom door and into her living room. The moment the fresh air sitting head the door met Ashley's nostrils, she immediately realised the musky scent that had been present in her room. From this, she realised that she had not had a shower yesterday and now greatly desired to remedy this.

She entered the bathroom and threw her clothes off, preparing to enter the shower before suddenly stopping and looking back at her clothes. Cursing her OCD for cleanliness and order, she groaned and neatly piled her clothes on the floor in the corner. Finally satisfying her thirst for perfectionism, she stepped inside and allowed a torrent of cool water to wash over her skin and through her hair. As she bathed her hair in shampoo, she thought over what she could be doing for today, but soon remembered her important errand. She had work today, not only that, but this was the day that she would make an example of herself as both a professional artist and a marketer. With this thought in mind, she applied extra effort in cleaning herself, wishing to look as presentable as possible for her debut into the celebrity world.

When she was finished, she systematically dried herself and donned a new outfit. She left the bathroom and wandered into the kitchen, seeking a good breakfast for the day ahead. She was just about to pull the fridge open when she looked up at the clock, finding a horrendous surprise awaiting her. The clock read fifty five passed eight, meaning that Ashley had only five minutes to prepare herself for work and get there for the tour.

She barely contained her scream as she ran to her bedroom and dressed herself in the first formal outfit she could get her hands on. She sighed at the thought of missing breakfast and walked out the front door and into the morning sunlight. She ran to the sidewalk and waited for a taxi. Until now, the taxis were exceptionally abundant and often began driving around this time. As of now, there was hardly a car on the road, let alone a taxi, and Ashley was forced to wait for the following ten minutes.

Finally, as ten passed nine rolled around, a taxi turned up beside the curb and Ashley rushed inside, paying the driver as they sped off to the museum. Thankfully, the roads were devoid of traffic or other potentially hindering obstacles, allowing Ashley to make up for at least a portion of her lost time. As she eventually turned onto the right street and approached the museum, she looked out the window to find an exceptional sight. The streets and outdoor spaces sitting in front of the museum had been crowded by hordes of browsing citizens and stalls carrying artworks and crafts.

Ashley's panic elevated to a new height as she pondered how she would go about setting up her own stall in the midst of this rabble. She gingerly stepped out the taxi and made her way through the crowds towards the front door. As she was approaching the door, she found a crowd of people leaving and dispersing into the crowd behind her. Following the final few as they left was her boss, watching over the leaving party in accomplishment. However, the moment the boss spotted Ashley, her smile entirely collapsed and she quickly beckoned the young employee inside.

Ashley hurried inside and the boss exclaimed in a whisper "What happened?! Why are you late?!" Blushing and trembling in fright, Ashley stammered "I-I woke up late a-and I….I'm so sorry. I got here as quick as I could. I missed out on breakfast and I needed a shower and new clothes and-". The boss watched in surprise as Ashley once again began to crumble into a panicked mess before and quickly interrupted her, "Hey, its fine! But you missed the art walk that the museum was holding. That was the last group to see the artworks on display".

Ashley sighed and covered her face in her hands, ashamed further by her incompetence. The boss continued "I've made you known to the people in this fair. I can have some valet bring your artworks out to a stall for you, but the spaces in the courtyard are just about filled up by now". "Okay… okay… I'll try and find somewhere to set up… thank you so much for this". "It's no problem… I'm just glad that you actually got here to sell your work. You've earned it". Ashley's spirits were raised by the support that her boss had given her, and was eager to get started on selling her products.

The fair itself has overcome both the yard and the streetway outside the museum. Cars were prohibited from driving into the car park of the actual museum due to the activity, forcing them to park along the curbs and surrounding streets in order to attend. With the space for a stall taken up mostly by the browsing attendees, Ashley searched along the outer regions of the fair in order to find some clear space. After a while, several valet turned up with her stall and she decided the appropriate place, a section of the road close to one end of the street.

Beyond her initial expectations, she had actually gained a large amount of attention from the attendees. People that would visit her stall and browse her tools and crafts recognised her art style from her paintings. Praises, compliments, blessings and all manner of delightful compliments poured forth upon her stall. She delightfully stood for photos, applied signatures, and her artworks were being sold by the minute. Without doubt, she had sold the most artworks out of everybody in the fair, and had more than payed for her sloppy introduction.

The fair began to wrap up at around three o'clock and the crowds began to take their leave, their wallets lightened and the trunks of their cars loaded with purchased merchandise. Ashley, despite being entirely unprepared for it, had managed to gain the most recognition of all the artists and their stalls; better still, she had managed to sell over a dozen of her best paintings. As the stall was packing up, Ashley noticed her boss leaving through the front doors of the museum and towards her. The smile that stretched across her boss's face implied something that Ashley can be excited for.

"Ashley, that was terrific!" her boss exclaimed, "No other artist in this business has gained so much attention lie you have". "Thank you. I'm honestly just as excited for it" Ashley replied, though her smile dropped slightly as she continued "Um… about me being late… Once again I-". "Don't apologise. You've more than made up for it" the boss replied before grinning, "In fact… enough for another raise in your pay". Ashley's eyes widened and she only slimly contained her ever-increasing excitement, "Thank you so much for this! You won't regret it!" The boss merely smiled slyly and answered "I know I won't".

Ashley took her taxi home and arrived around four o'clock, stepping out and heading in through the front door. Ash she entered the living room, she inhaled deeply and clapped her hands together, delighted by the turn of events that had taken place today. Not only had she succeeded in becoming the town's most famous artist, but she had also received an increase pay for her creative skills.

She wandered to the couch and flopped down upon it, the impact cushioned by the comfortable padding, and simply lay still as she drank in the peaceful atmosphere of her sanctuary. Ashley sighed a second time and reflected on her prior achievements that had all lead to this moment in her life. She was destined to become a famous artist now, of that there was no doubt. She grinned wider and thought to herself "Nothing could make me any happier in this mom-".

Lea could.

This sudden thought drew Ashley out of her excited trance and back to reality, but also brought a penalty to her attitude. Her smile slowly descended as she thought more about her best friend and the fair. For those six hours of standing in the sun and selling artworks, Lea was nowhere to be seen in the crowds forming around her, or even in the general collection of attendants. Nobody she knew or considered a close friend or family was with her to celebrate this event.

She pulled her legs up onto the couch and wrapped her arms around them, forming a foetal position on one end of the couch. She couldn't believe that despite how joyful and celebratory this moment was for her, she still managed to bitter it for herself. She clenched her fists angrily and muttered "I hate you Ashley… I want to be happy, and you always ruin it for me".

As much as she detested herself for creating this terrible atmosphere in her moment of success, she couldn't but think back on her best friend a wonder where she would've been at the time.

Suddenly, she shook her head violently in an attempt to banish this bitter and fruitless thoughts. She decided to distract herself and left the sofa to retrieve a book from her shelf. She barely even took the opportunity to choose a specific novel and simply grabbed a random one, bringing it back with her and sitting back down in her seat.

She tried her best and spent several minutes trying to get immersed in what she read, but to absolutely no avail. Though she enjoyed her book, she couldn't escape the recurring memories of Lea and how lonesome it had become in her absence. This was the first time that this had not only been a genuine problem for Ashley and her activities, but it also encouraged her to question herself and the relationship they have. Just what is it about Lea that can always make Ashley's life just that little bit tolerable? Why has she begun to feel these terrible emotions now that the pair of them had become genuine friends? Ashley soon came to a conclusion.

It was guilt.

Ashley had deduced that Lea was a homeless woman yesterday, explaining her common visits to Ashley's home. The thought that Lea is likely living on the streets and seeking shelter and food from others more fortunate than her, and has likely been doing so even before they met each other, stirred a pain in Ashley's chest. Despite this, Ashley considered the relationship that they had developed, and how she realised that Lea possibly was just as reliant on her for emotional support as Ashley was on Lea.

Ashley groaned from this thought and slammed her book shut, before tossing it to her left and leaving it resting on the sofa cushion. She shouldn't be having these thoughts, knowing that they will only bring her down even further. She sat up from the couch and headed into the kitchen, checking the time as she approached and opened the pantry. To her surprise, she read thirty two passed six on the clock, realising that she had been reading that book for almost two hours. Shrugging, she refocused her attention on her dinner and decided to save time and effort with a simple helping of garlic noodles.

As the light streaming through the windows evidently began to fade, Ashley had finished her dinner and was tidying herself up. She took her bowl and utensils to the sink and washed them to pristine quality, afterwards placing them on the bench to dry. Ashley turned away from the counter and placed her hands to support her, allowing her to lean and sigh solemnly.

Even now, night was approaching, and Ashley had done nothing or spent time with nobody to make it as memorable as before. Even after her pay raise and the attentions she received from fans of hers, she still couldn't help but feel a welling sense of loneliness and isolation at this moment. Here she was, once again. Locked up in her little dark house and had nothing but her imagination and her fantasies to keep her company. She found herself back to square one in her life at Oasis Springs, and she feared that it would continue for the rest of her life.

Her fists tightened as she stepped away from the counter, deciding to put this problems off for another day. She left the kitchen and passed through the living room until she reached her bedroom, where she dressed herself in simple lingerie and flopped into bed. As she slid under the covers and revelled in the warmth, she began to feel the same feeling she had when she first awoke. Unwilling to face the same effects a second time, she shut her eyes and concentrated in slipping away into sleep.

Ashley was jolted awake by the sound of her phone blaring within her bedroom, dragging her eyelids open and quickly puling herself out of bed. She stumbled clumsily across her bedroom floor and grabbed the phone from her discarded pants' pocket, before flipping it open and holding it to her ear. "Hello?" she muttered half-heartedly into the speaker, awaiting the answer impatiently and hoping to return to bed.

"Outside" was the only response she received, though the voice spoke more than the simple reply ever could have. She suddenly found enough strength and stability in her muscles to jolt upwards and run through gasp. Throwing her discarded clothes on in a blind rush, she ran through the bedroom door and out into her front yard. Her eyes scanned frantically up and down the street in search of a familiar figure, hoping that her guardian angel had granted her wish. Finally, her eyes fell upon a desired sight standing under a streetlight, staring at her with her arms folded and unmoving.

She slowly approached it, allowing her emotions and intentions to build and her final reaction to be evermore rewarding. She stopped in front of the silhouette as the latter looked up to meet her eyes, her face finally revealing itself to be the exact person that Ashley had been yearning to see. What was peculiar, however, and left Ashley confused and feeling awkward, is how Lea simply stood still and refused to offer a greeting. For this, Lea decided to act upon this with her own.

"Lea… I've missed you so much. I've gotten a promotion at work and there was an art walk today. I thought I was going to see you there but I couldn't see you and I've been feeling so awful without you and I nee-" Ashley rambled dramatically until she was suddenly silenced. Lea unfolded her arms held her hands on either side of Ashley's waist. Lea's hands were incredibly warm to Ashley in contrast to the cold night air, and Ashley dared not speak in order to find out what Lea was going to do next.

Ashley saw into Lea's eyes and found herself unwilling, as well as possibly unable, to look away. Every detail that she could see of Lea's face was no less than flawless, a perfect depiction of beauty and quality all in a living human form. It was no wonder how Ashley had absent-mindedly attempted to capture her image in a portrait, though she ultimately failed to replicate such a unique and unspoiled creation.

Lea slowly inched closer until their chests came in contact, and Lean began to wrap her arms around the intrigued, yet equally unnerved, Ashley. Lea grabbed her wrists and locked the pair of them in an embrace, sharing the warmth they had both accumulated between each other. Ashley's face was mere centimetres from Lea's, and she quickly noticed that this gap was slowly declining. Ashley, in that moment, knew what was happening, and that words were irrelevant for the next few seconds.

Lea's glossy lip softly collided with Ashley's and they began a passionate, yet incredibly lusty kiss. Ashley raised her arms to hold Lea's back and pull her as close as possible, while Lea held her left hand against the back of Ashley's head. Lea's leg raised slightly and slid against Ashley's thigh, Ashley moaning from the sensation. As the kiss intensified, the pair of them began moaning into each other's mouths, signalling their shared pleasure and craving for even more.

After a few moments of blissful contact, the pair separated and drew breath, both left panting from the excitement. Even as their kiss had ended, their embrace hadn't, as neither desired to allow this magical moment of their lives to end now. The two spent a few second trying to regain their breath, whilst simultaneously awaiting the other to speak first and decide what to do next. Thankfully, Ashley had the chance to speak first, giving her a chance to ask "Wanna come inside with me?"

The pair came back to the house and entered the lounge room, Lea evidently embracing in the warm temperature of the interior. "Thanks for this, Ashley. I didn't want to be a leech" she admitted humbly, drawing Ashley's full attention. "Don't think that, Lea. I love having you here! And I don't want you out in the cold" Ashley exclaimed, though Lea simply smiled with appreciation as a response.

As their conversation was kicking off again, Lea was suddenly interrupted by a sudden, fairly aggressive yawn, before she allowed her are to drop wearily at her sides. "Let's head to bed now, Ashley… It's getting late" Lea offered, though Ashley became curious about the intent beyond this simple suggestion. Nevertheless, Ashley nodded in approval, and both entered the bedroom and prepared for sleep.

Unlike Ashley, Lea immediately set about discarding her outfit and exposing her lingerie to present witnesses. Ashley suddenly felt fairly self-conscious and no longer felt comfortable with this situation. "Lea… do you… are we gonna…?" Ashley stammered cautiously, relieving a small chuckle from her barely clad partner. "No! Not tonight, Ashley. I'm way too tired" Lea answered, drawing a relieved sigh from Ashley and helping her to regain her confidence.

By the time Lea had finished undressing herself, she looked up to find Lea already under the covers. Ashley slid under the covers on the opposite side and snuggled slightly to embrace the warmth. Lea was clearly on the verge of sleep, but had strength enough to roll over and wrap her arm around Ashley. Ashley flinched in surprise, but quickly found comfort in the contact and allowed their bodied to come closer together. As Ashley began to lose consciousness, she heard a sweet and sexy voice whisper in her ear "But we will".


	18. Day 18 - The End! Woohoo!

"You okay there, sleepy?" a softy and silky voice whispered directly above Ashley's ear. Ashley herself stirred into consciousness, a smile stretching across her cheeks at the sound of her lover's presence. Ashley yawned underneath her covers and began to sit up, but unfortunately hadn't built up enough strength in her back to support her ascent. Before she could fall backwards, she felt a pair of hands grip her and hold her steady, before a voice pleaded "Don't strain yourself for my sake, girl. I'm not going anywhere".

Ashley's vision began to focus as she turned to face the opposite end of her queen size bed, finding the appealing sight of her girlfriend's face awaiting her. "How did…" Ashley began until a yawn interrupted her, "… you sleep?" Lea giggled faintly and answered "Wonderful… You are such a great pillow. And you talking in your sleep was musical for me". Ashley raised an eyebrow in confusion, answering "I talked in my sleep?"

Lea grinned and explained "You were muttering and moaning to yourself for most of the night". "What!? No way! I don't talk in my sleep, do I? You're joking, right?" Ashley questioned for confirmation, Lea answering with a simple nod and a calming smile. Instead of embracing the humour behind this discovery, Ashley couldn't help but feel guilty for any disturbance this had caused for Lea, and how it could affect their relationship from here on. Ashley huffed and said "Sorry. I never knew I did… But I've never slept with someone else before so I couldn't have po-".

Ashley was interrupted when the warmth of Lea's hand could be felt on her cheek, leaving herself silent in the midst of her apology. "It's alright, girl. I don't care what happens or how weird you can be. I will always love you" Lea whispered seductively to help Ashley quell her anxiety. Ashley relaxed from her lover's words and offered a small smile as gratitude.

Lea suddenly chuckled under here breath and added "Besides, I think it was really cute… You were giggling too. Were you having a dream?" As Lea asked this, her intrigue only grew as a redness began to bloom across Ashley's cheeks, before Ashley prepared to turn for the door. Lea took her hand away and held Ashley by her shoulder before her girlfriend could crumble from her embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I was just curious" Lea explained to justify her intentions, a frown emerging from her guilt. Ashley looked back, her face remaining bright red but sporting an innocent grin, before opening her door and stepping into the living room.

Ashley entered the kitchen and pulled the fridge door open while turning her gaze towards the clock, reading thirty five minutes past seven. As she was reaching inside the fridge for what would be here breakfast for this morning, She once again felt the tender and nurturing presence of her lover by her side, evident by the hand sitting upon her shoulder. She turned back to see Lea with inquisitive eyes, finding Lea to sport an unsure and concerned expression on her face.

"Are you actually feeling ok, Ashley? I didn't make you uncomfortable did I?" Lea asked curiously, praying to herself that Ashley felt otherwise. The grabbed a bottle of milk and shut the fridge door, before answering "Of course not! I just… We… we _literally_ just became girlfriends overnight". Lea became anxious about where this was leading until she continued "I've never had a relationship before… and I have no clue what to do. I'm so scared I might screw it up somehow and you might start getting pissed off at me and…".

"You worry too much" was all Lea needed to say, though the following massage to Ashley's shoulders certainly helped to drive the point home. The strain welling in her muscles for the past few minutes was swiftly being drowned under the magical works of Lea's soft, yet diligent, hands. "It's scary, I know. But I'm never… _never_ gonna hate you. Remember that, Ashley" Lea insisted as she Ashley squirmed under her divine influence, "You are a great person! You can do amazing things! You should never feel like people hate you. Ever!"

With her nerves calmed, Lea allowed Ashley to continue making her breakfast and simply stood by to watch. "Are you hungry, Lea? Can I-" Ashley began, only for Lea to interrupt with a wave of her hand, "I'm fine. I'l make something later". Ashley took a box of cereal from ber cupboard and planned for a quick and simple breakfast, intending to prevent yesterday's fiasco from repeating. As soon as she finished her breakfast, Lea took the bowl and began washing up, allowing Ashley to dress for work.

As Ashley was about to leave through her front door, a thought came to mind and she spun on her heel to face her girlfriend, "Wanna come to the museum with me?" As she awaited Lea's response, Ashley soon noted a moment of panic and surprise in her eyes, before Lea finally answered "Nah. I think I should stay here. Y'know… and take care of the house". "You sure?" Ashley pouted, Lea nodding in confirmation. Shrugging in defeat, Ashley stepped outside and walked to the curb to flag down a taxi.

Although work was virtually as samey as it had always been for Ashley, her lifted spirits somehow made her routine somewhat different. As she was currently studying and creating her next piece, she pondered the reason for this, and came to the most logical conclusion. As content as she had been in the past, she had indeed been a recluse, removing herself from the conversation that was the world and anyone that could be a friend to her.

Thanks to her new relationship with Lea, not only did her social life become ever more fruitful, but she no longer felt restrained and was free to express herself however she wanted, just like she did with her paintings. Ashley had painted artworks before, but she herself had become a beautiful and expressive masterpiece, created by the charismatic genius that was Lea.

As she was finishing the conceptual sketches for her next artwork, she noticed her boss approaching her from the corner of her eye, offering a small wave without taking her eyes off of her work. "Congratulations yesterday, Ashley" she complimented, Ashley finally looking away towards her employer to answer "Thanks. I'm honestly excited that so many people like me already". "Likewise. I'm glad that you've gotten to this position. You were so nervous when we first met, I was worried you'd quit in a panic or something" the boss explained.

Ashley sighed and nodded in agreement, explaining "Yeah… I was living by myself at the time, but now-" before pausing abruptly. She began wondering wither to mention Lea to her boss and what the latter would think. The fact that it's a lesbian relationship coupled with Lea being a former homeless person made for a contested ground for a conversation. Considering how patient and understanding her boss seemed, perhaps there was no harm in revealing the news.

"I got a girlfriend recently" she began, easily gaining the boss's attention, then adding "She kinda helped me get settled in Oasis Springs, and she also helped me get better at talking and hanging out with others". "Really? What's her name?" the boss asked, Ashley answering "Lea. She's living with me now".

The pair fell silent as Ashley's employer appeared confused, "Strange… I've never heard of her. And almost the whole town has come to the gallery before". Ashley looked back at her canvas and huffed in concern, "Well… I found out later that… she was homeless. So I invited her to stay with me". Already having lost time on her schedule, the boss stepped back and concluded "She sounds like a wonderful woman for you, Ashley. I'd like to meet her day if I can".

Ashley's hours eventually ended and she was driven back home in another taxi. The moment she had stepped out of the taxi, she could see the silhouette of a person through the window of her living room. The figure left Ashley's sight and disappeared between the window and the front door. Ashley suspected something, but decided to play along with whatever was planned by her partner and approached the door.

She turned the handle and was expecting various things to happen, ranging between a jumpscare and a sudden make-out session for the following few minutes. Leaning against the door, she grinned slyly as she suddenly barged into the room, expecting to find her sexy minx standing on the other side. Her plans were doomed to fail and she would've likely made a fool of herself to Lea, if only Lea had actually been present to witness it.

Her glance shifted through from the living room to the kitchen, and then through the open door of her bedroom. Absolutely no sign of Lea lay within Ashley's view, even though she should've seen her through the windows if she had moved from behind the door. The isolation and uncertainty left an uncomfortable atmosphere upon the house, and Ashley was forced to cautiously look over her shoulder as she entered the bathroom and prepared herself for a quick shower.

She stepped inside and turned both the handles at once, allowing the best of both worlds to come crashing down upon her skin and through her hair. As she scrubbed her skin and ran her fingers against the strands of her hair, she felt the urge to sing to herself to pass the time. Ashley had often been curious as to why humans are compelled to vocalise when showering; possibly some kind of psychological factor or a biological reaction. Ashley was never a science whiz, so she had no clue.

" _I close my eyes…_ " she began in a soft, yet voluptuous tone, _"Only for a moment. And the moments gone"_. She reached for the shampoo and poured a sufficient amount into her hand, before beginning to apply it to her soaked hair. "All my dreams…" she started on the second verse as she continued rinsing her hair, _"Pass before my eyes, a curiosity"_. Her hair now pristine, she took the bar of soap and drove it against her arms and torso. _"Dust in the wind"_ she finished her song as she came closer to the end of her shower, _"All we are is dust in the wind"_.

She soon stepped out, soaking wet, and took a towel to dry herself, all while humming one of her favourite songs to herself. She left the bathroom and returned to the hallway, still finding of her girlfriend. Before, she had assumed a simple prank, though this lengthy absence had begun to concern Ashley. She wondered if Lea had left, despite her promise to stay, or if she would come back. Nevertheless, it was evident at this point to Ashley that she was alone in her house once again.

Even now, after this though, Ashley felt claustrophobic.

"Lea?" she called faintly into the living room, "Are you still here". The following silence confirmed Ashley's suspicions. Tension welled under Ashley skin and it greatly infuriated her, believing herself to be simply overreacting. She wasn't dependant on Lea as much as her emotions and body would express. She wasn't obsessed with having Lea by her side. She didn't love Lea that much.

"Of course I do" she corrected her own thoughts in a faint and deflated manner, her head hanging forwards and her eyes shut. She turned to her bedroom and entered before sitting on the edge of her bed and laying back. She shifted her muscles against the mattress to relieve whatever tension she could from her system, before thinking to herself "I'll just wait until she gets back". With this final thought, she closed her eyes and slowly fell asleep.

Four hours later.

"Hey, sleepy. I'm back" spoke a soothing voice from across Ashley, rousing her from her state of rest. She smiled in the direction of the voice, replying in a hoarse and fatigued tone "Hi Lea. Where did you go?" She heard a giggle before Lea replied "Waiting for the right moment. I've got a surprise for you Ashley. Open your eyes". Ashley did as requested and squinted in the direction of the voice, though the sight she beheld sent her eyes shooting wide open.

Lea stood at the end of her bed, staring at her with her delicious eyes and gorgeous smile. She held a hand on her hip and pushed all her weight onto one lag to show it off, her head leading slightly to the left. As Ashley's eyes descended, she found herself a witness to Lea in her purest form. Lea's chest was entirely exposed to the young artist, her breasts bobbing slightly up and down as Lea breathed. Ashley's eyes continued downwards and passed Lea's flat, tanned stomach until she found Lea's groin. No pants, no underwear, no nothing; Lea truly wanted to make her irresistible body known by every inch to the young woman.

Ashley's faced flushed a bright red as she became conflicted between continuing to ogle her girlfriend's body and looking away. "Like what you see?" Lea teased playfully, her hands reaching for her breasts and gentle squeezing them in her grip, drawing a moan rom their owner. Ashley was speechless, unprepared for this moment and afraid of what could happen from this very second onwards.

Lee chuckled as she placed her hands on either side of Lea's feet, before raising her leg into the bed and crawling slightly forward towards her prize. She stopped suddenly and slowly looked down at Ashley's waist, spying the button on her jeans and how useless it would be for the next few minutes. She undid the button and unzipped Ashley's fly, drawing a gasps of surprise from Ashley herself as Lea began pulling them down. Lea could see that Ashley was wearing a pair of panties beneath her casual outfit, but also noticed that they suddenly seemed much more constrained.

Continuing upwards, Lea stuck to thumbs under Ashley's jumper and began hoisting it up her belly and over her breasts. Lea stopped as she finally had a clear view of her lover's chest and drank in the sight for a short time, before continuing to pull Ashley's jumper off. Despite the initial shock, Ashley succumbed to her lover's advances and began helping Lea undress her. She had been carefully kicking her jeans off as she sat up for Lea to pull her jumper off, leaving her in nothing but her bra and panties.

But Lea refused to stop there, as she leaned down to close the gap between the pair of them, their combined warmth being shared generously. "Time to play" Lea cooed as she licked her lips, all while her arms wrapped around and her hands unhooked Ashley's bra. She tossed the bra to the floor and gazed upon the two succulent mounds that quivered before her. Her breath grew stronger as she leaned her head towards the left breasts, her lips closing around the nipple.

The moment Lea's lips made contact, Ashley gasped once again and started panting lustfully. Lea repeatedly flicked the tip of her tongue across her the bulb and suckled aggressively. Ashley arched her back in pleasure as her hands wrapped behind Lea's head, pulling her head gently down and refusing to let go. Both of Ashley's breasts were given equal treatment, as Lea would swap between them after several minutes of sucking and tasting.

Finally, Lea pushed away from her girlfriend's chest and sighed, licking lips and cooing "Yummy…". Between the panting and writhing in pure ecstasy, Ashley offered a weak smile of appreciation. "But that's just the appetiser" she explained with a devious, almost diabolical grin. She began crawling backwards and down Ashley's body, before stopping above her visibly aching pussy. "Time for the main course…" Lea concluded as she leaned down and toon the band of Ashley's panties in her teeth, before gentling pulling them down her legs and finally onto the floor.

Ashley spread her legs apart in preparation, Lea's hungry eyes bearing down on Ashley's pussy. Lea leaned down and stuck her tongue out, taking a long and slow lick upward and bringing out a loud and glorious moan from the lusty minx. Again, Ashley held her hands against the back of Lea's head to help administer the delicious affection. Her legs folded behind Lea's back and hooked together by her feet, Lea feeling grateful for how much Ashley's demanded more from her.

She continued to lick, taste and otherwise savour the delicious flavour that was Ashley's pussy. Ashley's moans became evermore vocal as Lea's lapping shifted to a sudden penetration. Lea pushed her tongue through her girl's defences and wrapped her lips around the rounded surface of Ashley's swelling pussy. She then began rocking her whole body back and forth as her tongue pushed deeper inside, causing Ashley to buck against her will to the rhythm.

"Lea… oh god… you…" Ashley began before she fell silent from a sudden spasm of pleasure. Lea felt that she needed more to offer her darling a slice of heaven. Her arms slithered across Lea's stomach and finally stopped on her breasts, before suddenly squeezing firmly. "AHH!" Ashley screamed, "Shit! Don't stop! That's so fucking good!" Her breasts squeezed, her pussy suckled and her lover giving her the greatest time of her life all finally lead to the grand finally.

"Ah! Ah! Ahh…" Ashley whirred down as she finally orgasmed, her legs falling upon the bed and her arms sliding to her sides. She panted and huffed in exhaustion as her body twitched and writhed against the covers, but she could only imagine how her girlfriend felt after all the hard work she put in to give her this. She looked down with weary eyes and saw Lea slowly pulled her tongue away and sitting up. Lea gave an audible gulp and sighed, licking her lips all the while.

As the excitement began to settle, both girls crawled up tow the top end of the bed and cuddled. "That was incredible, Lea. Thanks so much… I was so scared that it would suck" Ashley whispered exhaustedly. "I'm happy you liked it" Lea answered, "I was kinda worried you weren't ready". The two girls pulled the covers over their naked and weary bodies, before snuggling together as Ashley's head rested against Lea's shoulder. "You are such a great person, Ashley" Lea sighed blissfully, "I'm happy that I could make your life so much better". Ashley nodded as she replied "I love you so much. You are the greatest person that I've ever imagined". Lea smiled lovingly from this compliment, and the pair soon began to fall into a warm and loving slumber.

"Wait… what?!"

Lea's eyes opened as she sat up, recollecting Ashley's exact words and turning to look down at her. From what she could tell, Ashley was already in a deep sleep within seconds of her comment. Lea looked away and huffed in confusion, pondering how Lea could've know her secret. Or perhaps she was just being paranoid. She probably just heard it wrong, or Ashley had said it wrong by a large coincidence. Lea soon fell asleep with a worried and concerned heart, not for herself, but for her lover and their future together.

Ashley, unlike what Lea believed, was very much awake and pondered the future as well. She looked forward to the life she'll live with her incredible lover. She was excited to become a celebrity and draw national, possibly even international, attention to her skills in art. She cursed herself for having little faith in her life in Oasis Springs when she came here, and now believed it to be the best decision of her life.

"With a record selection and a mirror reflection… I'm dancing with myself".


End file.
